A Few Helpful Pushes
by AngelicFairy
Summary: The gang heads back to Cerulean for the Annual Ball where old friends hatch a complicated plan. Just how many people will it finally take to get Ash and Misty together? CHP 7 UP: THE GRAND FINALE!
1. Reunion

*****Author's Note*****

Hi! This is my first Pokemon fic as well as my first AAML fic. Actually, this isn't going to be all fluff n' duff...yet. It's more like humor plus fluff mixed with a bit of everything! The beginning is a little different because it starts with a new character who, if you continue reading, should be interesting...I hope. Anywho, please review at the end! Thanks!

**Main Summary**: Misty runs in to her old best friend Serena. The two drag the boys back to Cerulean City where the annual ball will be held and there, humor, matchmaking, friendship, and romance ensues! 

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters. The people I own are Serena and anyone else I create for this fic. 

**Dedication**: Since this is my first AAML, this is dedicated to one of my best friends, **~*PrincessMiyako*~.** I know you luv AAML and I know you've written sum, which btw are terrific, so this is for you gurl! This is also dedicated to another friend, **Angel Kitten** who has written a really great AAML and basically, that's how our friendship started. 

**Ages:**

Misty - 14

Serena – 14

Ash - 15 (I'm making him, like, a month or two older than Misty just because I like it that way)

Brock - 16

**Another little note:**

_Italics_ are thoughts

Words in brackets are telepathic messages.

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A Few Helpful Pushes Chapter 1: Reunion 

* * *

A young girl around the age of fourteen sat by a small creek in a clearing, washing her face. Scattered around her on the green, forest grass, were items of her possession: notebooks, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and other things. She began wiping her face with a small face towel when suddenly she whipped her head around to gaze upon the bushes behind her. 

Shaking her head, she said, "I must have heard something." Turning to her things, she began to stuff everything back inside her orange backpack. But again, she turned to face the bushes. 

"Now I'm sure I heard something." She stood and walked cautiously towards them when all of a sudden she saw two yellow ears poke out. "Oh! A Pikachu!" she exclaimed, recognizing the ears. 

And it was indeed a Pikachu. Pretty soon, with the girl's kind coaxing, the Pikachu finally revealed itself and was quite enjoying the massage that the girl was giving him when his ears perked up at a sound.

The girl noticing this, looked up to hear better and heard a male voice. "Pikachuuu!" and right then, a boy's head appeared out from the trees. 

He looked at the girl with his brown eyes and exclaimed, "Hey! What are you doing to my Pikachu?"

Standing up, the girl looked at the boy defiantly, not intimidated by him though he was taller. "Your Pikachu just appeared and I was just playing with him, not harming him!"

"Well you could be a Pokemon thief for all I know," the boy shot back. 

The girl could now see that this was a Pokemon trainer not just because he had a Pikachu but also because he wore an official Pokemon League cap upon his head which covered wild, black hair. He looked somehow familiar but now was not the time to think of when and where she had seen him. She tossed her long black hair back and glared at the other teen.

"Why would I need to steal your Pikachu when I've got my OWN Pokemon?" she said to him, still glaring with her dark eyes. 

Now the boy half-smirked, half-grinned. "Oh so you're a pokemon trainer huh? Well then, I challenge you to a battle!" 

The girl now grinned maliciously. "Fine then. I accept your challenge. But don't expect me to go easy on you just because I'm friends with your Pikachu."

"Ha! Just you don't expect ME to go easy on YOU because you're a girl," he taunted back.

This comment fired up the girl to beat this twerp. "Cut the talk and let's start. How about two on two?"

"Fine with me," came the reply.

Seconds later, the two opponents stood facing each other across the clearing. The girl took out a pokeball and tossed it. "Rapidash go!" 

Instantly, a figure emerged from the ball, a fiery Rapidash, its high flames indicating its readiness to fight.

"A fire type," the boy said smugly. "Too bad my water pokemon will turn your pokemon to charcoal dust." He threw his own pokemon and at the same time said, "Squirtle, I choose you!" 

"Let's see who turns who to charcoal dust buddy," the girl replied coolly. Then to her Rapidash, she said one word. "Wait."

The boy however gave his pokemon an immediate command. "Water gun now, Squirtle!"

The tiny-turtle pokemon prepared to shoot out its strongest burst of water. One, two, three...BLAST! 

"You know when to jump Rapidash!" the girl cried. Without replying, her Rapidash just watched the stream of the water gun come closer, closer, almost at his chest and then he jumped. Clear leaped over the water gun. 

"Now! Fire spin!" the girl commanded. Immediately, Rapidash, still high in the air but on his way down, let out a magnificent tornado of fire which circled Squirtle until it finally engulfed the poor pokemon before either he or his trainer knew what happened. And then, the smoke cleared and Squirtle was seen knocked out. Rapidash stood opposite him, ready to battle longer if needed.

Upon seeing her first-round victory, the girl said, "Squirtle is defeated. This round goes to me. Good job Rapidash. Return."

Across from her, the boy knelt beside his pokemon, congratulated him, and returned him. "Okay so you won. Nicely trained Rapidash. But let's see if you can take on Pikachu." The yellow pokemon's eyes glittered with pre-battle energy. 

"All right then. I choose," she threw a second pokeball. "Abra!" And instantly, a small, sleeping pokemon appeared.

The boy recognized this pokemon. Only once before had he had to battle an Abra and that was years ago at a certain gym. And the experience had not been all that exciting. His Pikachu seemed to also remember the same thing as his trainer. He shuddered at the recollection of what had happened last time he battled an Abra but he was stronger now. He would do it for his trainer.

"An Abra. How cute. I hear you actually have to have psychic abilities to be able to control one properly," the boy said.

The girl smirked. "Well then, you heard right."

"Huh?" the boy said. The only thing that made sense from what she had just said was that either she could control her Abra without psychic powers or she did have psychic powers. He tried not to shudder and returned to the battle at hand. "Whatever. Let's get going. Pikachu! Thunderbolt now!"

Pikachu's red sacs filled with electricity and he let it fly. Now awake, the Abra was staring straight ahead. In a calm voice, the girl said, "Abra, reflect it." And suddenly, her eyes glowed. 

The boy noticed this and gasped. She was psychic! And with her eyes glowing like that, he noticed that she looked so much like the gym leader Sabrina from Saffron City. In fact, he hadn't realized it before but she looked like Sabrina's slightly younger and shorter self even without the glowing. Her long black hair, her smile, dark eyes, and everything. And she had an Abra.

But he turned his attention back to the battle once more. Too many thoughts were distracting him. "Use your Agility Pikachu!" he shouted seeing that his little buddy's thunderbolt was heading straight back for him. The psychic powers. Same thing Sabrina had done.

"Abra, don't move. Concentrate, hold the electric jolt with your mind and then attack," she said, her eyes no longer as bright though they still glowed. He watched as the girl and Abra had the same look of concentration, Pikachu's thunderbolt frozen mid-air, held like that by the psychic pokemon, and Pikachu, still circling Abra very fast. Maybe it was something about the girl that made him not think properly or maybe he was just too tired but he ordered his pokemon to stop.

As soon as he did, Pikachu was hit. "Now Abra! Use psychic!" the girl yelled. Abra focused and glowed just like his trainer's eyes and suddenly Pikachu was flying in the air. With a thump, he landed, unable to get back up.

Running to his pokemon, he cradled him. "You're a good trainer." He said to the girl, acknowledging defeat. 

She grinned and he noticed that her eyes had stopped glowing. Abra was gone, probably in his pokemon. "You're not too bad yourself. Here," she walked to her backpack which sat propped against a tree and pulled out a bottle. "Use this Potion on Pikachu."

He allowed the strange trainer to spray the stuff on his pokemon and watched her walk back to her bag. He stood and she lifted up her bag. "You know, I don't know your name or where you're from." She finally said.

"Ash from Pallet Town," he replied.

She stuck out a hand. "Nice battling you Ash. I'm Serena from Cerulean City."

This answer surprised him as he shook her hand. "Cerulean? I was expecting you to say-"

"Saffron," she said finishing his sentence as she let go of his hand.

He nodded.

"Well, let's just say it's a long story. Too long to explain now but anyway, I've got to get going. I'm looking for someone. Heard she was around here," Serena said. "Maybe you know -"

She was cut off by two voices calling out Ash's name from within the forest.

"Here! Over here guys!" he called back and soon, two figures appeared from the same direction Ash had. 

In front a pretty redhead with a small Togepi following her and behind her, a tall boy with tan skin and slanted eyes. His spiked hair stood out and in his hands, he carried potholders.

"Ash!" cried the redhead. "Where were you?"

But at that moment, her eyes fell upon Serena and Serena's on her. They stared at each other for a moment and then,

"Oh Serena! Is it really you?" 

"Misty! Oh my gosh I can't believe I found you!" 

Both girls hugged each other tightly and tears of happiness streamed down their faces. Meanwhile, Ash and the other boy stood off to the side in bewilderment. What was happening? One minute, he was talking to this psychic girl, the next, she and Misty are acting like they're long-lost friends, Ash thought.

"Excuse me!" he said loudly but the girls ignored him. "Hello!"

"It's no use," said the other boy. 

"What do you mean Brock?" 

Brock just eyed the younger boy. "It's obvious that once girls get all emotional like this, nothing will break their attention. Just sit and wait for Misty to finally remember us and then we'll find out what the heck is happening here."

Sighing, Ash took the advice of his older friend but turned his eyes back to watch the babbling of the two teen girls.

"Where have you been? I have been looking for you forever!" Serena cried.

"I've been everywhere and that's not an understatement, trust me," Misty said with a laugh as she wiped her tears away. "Why have you been looking for me and where have you been?"

But before Serena could reply, the boy with the spiked hair that she had seen behind Misty wedged himself between them and took her hands.

"Umm..."

Obviously, Brock had not seen the girl's face too clearly but he had stood behind Misty to see her and was, as always, transfixed by the pretty girl.

"Hello my lovely. What a nice day it is. You're so beautiful. Your hands feel so soft against mine and-" before he could continue, he was suddenly pushed back by an invisible force so hard that he fell. At first, he thought it was Misty pulling him by the ear but when he looked, she was nowhere near him.

"Wha-what happened? Who pushed me?" Brock asked wildly.

"I'm sorry," said Serena looking quite apologetic. 

"But, you didn't push him. I didn't see you," Ash said confused at why she was apologizing. 

Serena smiled. "Umm...you didn't see me because I did it with my mind. Even after all these years, I still have trouble controlling my powers." She reached out a hand to help Brock up which he took eagerly. "I'm really sorry Brock. I didn't mean to but you uh...freaked me out a little."

"She knows my name!" Brock said excitedly to Ash and Misty not even appearing to have realized that this girl had powers. "You've probably been asking around for me."

To Ash, it looked like Serena was trying hard not to laugh. "Actually, I battled you for a Boulder Badge a few years back. That's how I know who you are but you probably don't remember me because I was ten."

"Oh," Brock said dejectedly and walked back to Ash.

Now Misty finally seeing that Brock was out of his zoned out look, she walked back to Serena. "I'm so glad that...that we're here together finally! I've missed you so much!"

Serena smiled. "Me too." The two friends embraced once again and now, Ash couldn't take it anymore.

"Excuse me but what is going on here? How do you two know each other and I'm still curious as to how you're from Cerulean City when the psychic people are from Saffron."

"Oh Ash! Just wait. We'll explain over dinner. Come on, you've got to camp with us," and with that Misty pulled Serena back into the forest to where she, Ash, and Brock had set up camp. An angry Ash followed, angry at being ignored, with Pikachu, slightly better on his head and a still dejected and rejected Brock at the end.

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Author's Note 

::looks at readers:: Well, what'd ya think? Helpful criticism and tips most appreciated. I'm always willing to learn more and improve my writing but be nice. I know that there's not much romance yet but we're just getting started! Trust me, as we get nearer to Cerulean City, there will be more Ash/Misty along with other couples! ^_^ And please do me a favor and review! Thanks!

***_Maura*_**

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**Short Summary of Chapter 2: **

Ash and Brock ask to know more about Serena while Ash and Misty tell Serena about them. 

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	2. Stories

***Author's Note*** 

I'm incredibly sorry for not posting sooner. I almost decided not to continue with this but I figured what the heck. And _MysticVigil _persuaded me to post! BTW, arigato everyone for the reviews! _*hands out Hershey's Kisses*_ Read on! ^_^

**Disclamier**: Don't own a thing except the plot and Serena. 

**Dedication**: To all who reviewed chapter 1!

* * *

**A Few Helpful Pushes**

Chapter 2: Stories 

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"So," Ash said as they ate dinner. "Anyone care to tell me what the story is?" He stabbed his fork into the fish.

"Not really but I suppose we should tell you seeing as how you're too clueless to have figured out some of it by now," Misty said earning a giggle from Serena.

Ash glared at her. 

"Well, before I start, excellent dinner Brock." Brock beamed. "And now, the story." 

Ash leaned in, eager to find out what was up with the two girls. Brock too leaned in, more interested in this new girl rather than her story. 

"Misty and I grew up together. We were like sisters because I lived right beside the gym. And her sisters were like my older sisters too."

"But they treated you much nicer than they did me," Misty interrupted with a scowl.

Serena laughed. "Yes but they still love you more than me because you really are their little sister. But anyhow, Misty and I would play together almost everyday. My parents liked the fact that I had made a wonderful friend. We'd always battle together, Misty with water pokemon but me, I always favored fire even though Cerulean is a water town. Not that I don't like water pokemon, they're one of my favorites but fire first. Well," she looked at Ash. 

"Now you can guess why I was able to beat you so easily with my fire against your water. Ponyta was my first pokemon and Staryu, Misty's. We'd train out pokemon and soon, Ponyta was strong enough to beat Staryu and when he did, he evolved. From then on, whenever I got a new fire pokemon and Misty got a new water pokemon, we'd train them and battle them so I'd be able to beat water pokemon. Misty's pokemon were already strong enough to beat any fire pokemon so she didn't need to worry. So basically, fire-type pokemon were the only ones I specialized in. Until one night."

"What happened?" Ash asked.

"When I was about eight, I woke up in the middle of the night one day feeling extremely thirsty but too tired to go down. I imagined taking a glass from our cupboard downstairs and then filling it with cool water from the sink. All this I imagined and I so longed for that glass of water. Little did I know that what I was imagining was truly happening. Soon, I heard my door open and I didn't know that I had unconsciously done it with my mind. I sat up and ended up looking straight into my mirror. What I saw scared me so bad because I saw my reflection but my eyes were glowing red and when I turned to the door, there, floating in the air, was the cool glass of water I had filled and brought to me with my mind. All of it being too much, I screamed and with the concentration being lost, the glass fell, shattering on the floor and my eyes returned to normal.

My parents heard me yell and rushed into my room. At first, they tried to tell me I was having a nightmare when I told them what happened but I kept insisting that it wasn't. Eventually, they made me so mad at not believing me, I somehow imagined that the broken glass still on my floor would put itself back together and fill with water again just so I could show them that what I had wanted to happen had happened. And sure enough this did happen but this was not what had convinced my parents. They saw my glowing eyes as I thought and concentrated. It's what happens to anyone using psychic powers and then, Mom broke down crying. 

I was stunned and my concentration broke. I thought that they had seen the floating glass that was making its way to me and that Mom got scared. I apologized to her and said I didn't mean to scare her and then I started crying. I was scared because my eyes glowing had terrified me and the fact that what I had thought to happen did so.

They comforted me and then, there in my room, slowly, my dad told me that they weren't really my parents. This shocked me so much that I couldn't even cry. Surely they were joking. What did they mean? I mean, you imagine how you'd feel, being a little eight-year old and your parents telling you that they're not your real parents.

But after those words, they truth slowly came out. I was stunned. It must have been hard for them to reveal the truth to me. I didn't even understand half of it but I could tell what they were really saying. They weren't my parents."

Now, Serena paused to take a sip of water and eat a little. But Ash still curious to know more, asked, "Then who was or is?"

"Let her take a break Ash! You have no consideration for other people," Misty scoffed.

"I do so! Watch." Ash retorted. "Serena, are you cold? Here take my shirt." He slipped off his outer shirt leaving on his black tee and handed it to the girl. 

Serena smiled knowingly. "No I'm fine Ash but thanks." Slyly, she glanced quickly at her best friend. Misty was red in the face, just as she had expected.

"That doesn't count Ash!" she said.

"Does so! I was considerate because I saw that Serena shivered a little and so I offered her my shirt so she'd be warmer. That's being considerate so there!"

To this, Misty appeared to be thinking of a reply. While she thought, Brock whispered to Serena, "You'd better hurry up and continue the story. Those two can go at it forever if they're not stopped. I should know."

Nodding, she cleared her throat. "I'm ready to continue." Ash stuck his tongue out at Misty in a childish way and she just gave him a "hmpf" and turned back to her friend, settling back against a tree stump. 

"Go ahead."

"Where was I? Oh yeah. Well it turned out that my parents couldn't lie to me after they saw and I saw my eyes glowing. They knew what it meant. I didn't. Not at first anyway. They told me that my parents were alive but they didn't tell me who they were. They said that I wasn't to know exactly who my parents were until I was ten because that was the age I would start my pokemon journey. But they did tell me that I was still their daughter forever in their hearts if not in blood. This satisfied me. They also told me that I had inherited the psychic powers from my parents and that I was really from Saffron City. They explained to me that now that I knew about these powers, that if I wanted to be a good pokemon trainer, I should try catching psychic pokemon and training them. With my powers, it'd be easier. So that's what I did. 

Over the next two years, I developed my powers as well as my trainer skills with Misty's help the whole way. She and her sisters were the only other people who I told the truth to. Finally, the day of my tenth birthday, I started my pokemon journey. Started my more rigorous training. And I found out who my parents are. I'll get to that later though. You see, Misty being a few months older than me had already turned ten. She and I wanted to travel together. Of course, she wanted to achieve being the greatest water trainer."

"I still do," Misty said. "But unfortunately, I haven't had much time in my own training because I've been cheering on this idiot."

"Hey!" Ash protested. "No one-"

"Ahem," Brock cleared his throat. "I believe that Serena still hasn't finished her story."

"Sorry," Ash and Misty said simultaneously. 

Serena laughed. "That's okay. Anyways, she wanted to be the greatest water trainer and I wanted to be the greatest fire and psychic trainer and compete in the Pokemon League or maybe have my own gym one day. But her sisters refused to let her go all of a sudden. They knew our plans but they refused. But Misty didn't want her sisters to get in my way so she told me to go and reluctantly, I did. I left Cerulean, my home, my parents, and my best friend to start my journey. And since that day, I hadn't heard from or seen Misty until today."

"Didn't you go back to Cerulean over the years? I mean, it's been four years!" Brock exclaimed. 

"Sure," Serena took another sip of water. "But every time I did, I just found out that she had either been there or was somewhere too far to come and I never knew where she was. Every time I asked her sisters about it, they'd just laugh and say that she was traveling with her boyfriend."

"Boyfriend!?" Misty and Ash exclaimed, both blushing slightly.

"Wait till I get my hands on them!" Misty grumbled but Serena wasn't fooled. Even after four years, she still knew her best friend.

"Her boyfriend! Ha," Ash muttered. Brock suppressed a laugh that was threatening to come out. 

Trying not to giggle, Serena continued. "Anyways, while continuing my training and traveling, I've also been looking for you Misty. I can't believe I missed four years of your life! Four years we were supposed to spend together," she said sadly.

"I know what you mean. You're now a beautiful trainer. Totally independent. And I'm sure you've caught a bunch of pokemon. We are going to have a long talk on what's happened to both of us over the past few years," Misty said while at the same time smacking Ash's hand, which was creeping over to take her soda. "Get your own."

"I see you haven't changed though," Serena commented.

"There's no more! Come on Mist! Let me have just one sip!" Ash pleaded, forgetting the 'boyfriend' comment.

Misty didn't even glance in Ash's general direction but continued talking to Serena as if he wasn't there. "You know, I don't think you ever told me who your parents really were. Before you left I mean."

"Please?" Ash still asked.

"Fine. One sip," Misty handed him her soda and he chugged it down. "Hey! One sip I said! I didn't say you could drown yourself! Give it back Ash!" 

Brock began to laugh and Serena joined in. Yup, Misty's still the same, she thought. Here she was, first asking about her parents and then getting into a small fight with Ash over the soda. She watched as Misty finally grabbed the can, bonked Ash over the head for being such a pig, and turned her attention back to her friend. 

"I'm so sorry Serena."

"That's okay. Anyhow, I think the reason I didn't tell you who my real parents are because we both were so upset that your sisters decided not to let you go."

"So," Misty implored. "Who are they?"

Serena looked down and then back up. "Well, you know Sabrina the gym leader of Saffron City, right?"

"Sabrina? Oh yes we know her," Brock answered for Misty. "But what does she have to do with this?"

"Well you see," Serena looked around all the three teens and two pokemon seated around her. "She's my sister. Her parents are my real parents."

Misty gasped, Ash's eyes widened, and Brock just stared. 

Finally, Ash broke the silence. "No wonder when I saw you using your powers that I thought you looked so much like Sabrina! Of course! You're her younger sister that's why. But, why did..." he trailed off.

"Why did my parents give me up for adoption right?" Serena said. Instead of waiting for an answer, she said, "When I was born, Sabrina was six. By then, you've heard from my real dad that she had developed her powers and was quite strong for a six-year old. Well, at first, my parents thought that it would be good for Sabrina to have a little sister to take care of. They thought that maybe she would stop with her obsession with her powers. But they were wrong. In fact, when Sabrina, saw me and found out that I was her sister, she was overcome with jealousy and tried to hurt me. My parents luckily were able to over power her and then gave me to their good friends in Cerulean who are my adopted parents. They made them promise not to tell me anything till I was of age and that they would try to control Sabrina so that one day I could go back. 

Well, I finally met my real family and by that time, Sabrina was normal. It was after you three had passed by. They told me all that had happened. At first, I was a little scared and nervous about going there so I battled first. Psychic against psychic and I won. Sabrina said that I was as strong as her and that there could be only one person who could be as strong as her when it came to psychic powers. She said that it would have to be her own blood sister and looked my straight in the face. I broke down and that's when she gave me the first hug. The first hug from my older sister and I finally met my parents. I understood that what they did was for my own safety even though I was somewhat angry. After that, I've had two families. One in Cerulean without a sister and one in Saffron with a sister."

She finished her story and sat back quietly, watching Misty's reaction. Her best friend.

"I can't believe....I mean. You and Sabrina? Sisters? And...I never guessed but when I saw Sabrina, I did see the resemblance but I never even suspected," Misty said.

"Well, now that I've told you my whole life's story, why don't tell me about your travels, how you left Cerulean City, and how you three met up?" Serena suggested.

"Fair enough. But let's get into our sleeping bags first and then talk. It's getting dark." Misty began to take all the trash and put it into a plastic bag. Brock put away all the cooking equipment, which he had already cleaned up. Ash tucked in Pikachu who had already begun to fall asleep. Soon, all four teens were settled into their sleeping bags in a line, Serena, Misty, Ash, Pikachu, and Brock. Togepi was already asleep, on Misty's pillow. The fire was out all Serena was ready to now hear someone else's story.

"Now then," Misty began. "I left home two weeks after you did. My sister's were driving me crazy and they made me so mad so I just left. I just traveled around by myself for a while and then, one day, I met him." She jerked a thumb to Ash.

"How? At a dance? Bump into each other? Or maybe Ash just thought you were cute and decided to talk to you," Serena teased, taking the chance of Misty and Ash exploding.

"Are you kidding? At a dance?" Misty screeched.

"Me think she's cute?" Ash exclaimed which earned him a hit on the head from Misty. "Ouch. You are too violent."

"I know. Anyway, none of your theories are correct. In fact, I happened to fish him out of the lake," Misty said lying down, fluffing up the pillow under her. 

Serena turned towards Misty. "Excuse me?"

Now Ash began talking. "See, that was the first day of my Pokemon journey. I got Pikachu and he wouldn't exactly cooperate so I had to try and catch some pokemon without his help. So I kinda threw a stone at a Spearow and he got angry, called the other Spearows and they began chasing us. I jumped into the lake with Pikachu to get away because they were attacking him. Then I saw the fishing line, tugged it, and Misty pulled me out. But Pikachu was hurt so I had to borrow Misty's uh..." he realized what he was about to say and then stopped. 

"Borrowed her what?" Serena asked.

"My bike," Misty growled facing him. Quickly, Ash turned and began pretending to snore. Brock laughed.

"He still hasn't paid me back," Misty explained to Serena. 

"Yeah and it's been almost four whole years!" Brock said. "It makes you wonder doesn't it?" 

"Hmm..." Serena said looking intently at her friend who had suddenly began to turn pink. It was hard to tell but the faint light of the moon helped her to make out the slight tinge of pink. "Is that why you're following him around?"

Now it was Misty's turn to face away from Serena and pretend to be asleep. 

"Hey!" Serena protested. "You're supposed to tell me the rest of your story. So is Ash!"

Both Ash and Misty replied with a snore.

"No fair!" Serena complained. "Who am I supposed to talk to now?"

"You could pull your sleeping bag over here next to me and we'll chat," Brock said suddenly in his pretty-girl voice. Even after Serena had told him expressively that she was not interested. 

Sighing, she figured it was now her turn. She tuned over and closed her eyes.

"Serena?" Brock whispered into the dark silence. "What d'you say?"

He got a snore in return. 

"Girls. What have they got against me?" Brock muttered to himself and turned to go to sleep himself. 

* * *

***Author's Note*** 

Once again, please review! And like I said before, more romance WILL come! I like to build up to the main event and things to come. The purpose of this chapter was for you all to get to know Serena a bit better as a character so she would seem more real. Hope I succeeded in doing! 

***Maura***

* * *

**Summary of Chapter 3:**

Ash and Misty wake up in an…interesting position and both Brock and Serena spot it. Serena finally tells Misty the reason she has been searching for her.

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	3. Good Morning

*****Author's Note*****

As usual, thanks for the reviews. Please keep in mind that any helpful feedback on improving this fic will most likely not be incorporated this time because the entire fic is already written out. Has been for a year in fact. I just never posted. But I will keep the thoughts in mind next time I write something new! Now, read on!

Disclaimer and Dedication as on previous chapters. I'm too lazy. 

* * *

**A Few Helpful Pushes**

**Chapter 3: Good Morning**

* * *

The next morning, Serena awoke at the sound of Ash's snoring, this time real. She had a hard time sleeping when anyone snored and now that she was awake, she couldn't go back to sleep. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, looked to her left and smiled. The other three were still asleep for it was still somewhat early but what had made her smile was Ash and Misty. 

Although they had all put their sleeping bags at least a foot apart from each other, somehow, unconsciously, Misty had rolled over near to Ash. Serena remembered that whenever she slept over Misty's or Misty slept over with her, she'd always have to push Misty away from her. She always did have weird sleeping habits but this was too hilarious. Cute too.

She had her arm around Ash and his snoring didn't seem to bother her at all. Probably from traveling with him so long, Serena thought. Ash looked like he had stayed in his sleeping bag but he then turned over so that his head was touching Misty's and both slept on. 

From the moment she saw Misty and Ash together, Serena knew that they had thing for each other. It was so obvious but it was also obvious that they were scared to tell each other. Well, she would just have to help them. But first, this was too good of a chance to give up. Quietly slipping out of her sleeping bag, Serena tiptoed over to her backpack and unzipped it. She rummaged around for a minute, found what she was looking for, walked back over and stood over the two.

Opening the shutters, she zoomed up to first their top halves where Misty's arm was draped over him and their heads touching. Then she took another shot of their entire bodies. They looked too cute. Finishing the task, she then looked at Brock. If he were in a funny position, it would be a good picture to take. But he was normal. Almost normal. He wasn't in a funny position but what was funny was that he was muttering nonsense under his breath.

"Girls! Wait come back! No don't leave!" she heard him mutter. She could see him practically crying while dreaming. Poor guy. If this is his nightmare, that's sad, she thought. Of course, she could always use her powers and change his dream but of course, she always forbid herself from going through people's minds or dreams. The only time she entered someone's head was when she was sending them a message telepathically and that was only her talking to them. When she did that, she couldn't read any of their thoughts. Remembering that, she went back to her bag, picked it up and walked back to the creek that she had been near yesterday to wash up.

About ten minutes after Serena had left to go to the creek, Brock woke up. He had such a nightmare! Every girl he walked up to rejected him. But then, as he thought about it, every girl he talked to rejected him. Life wasn't fair. He stood up and then almost fell over in laughter. To his right, Ash and Misty were still sleeping soundly like a pair of lovebirds. He grinned. If only he had a camera. Too bad that they had to spend all their money on food and other needed supplies. 

_Speaking of food_, he thought. _I'd better start breakfast._

Five minutes later, both Ash and Misty began to stir, each still unaware of the situation that they were in. Ash awoken by the aroma of the food that Brock had begun preparing and Misty by the noise of his clanging. 

_Darn that Brock!_ Misty thought. She wanted to sleep a little longer but Brock just had to be loud while cooking. She kept her eyes shut a while longer. She felt something warm and soft beside. _What is this? _she asked herself, her arm still around Ash unknowingly. _Must be a pillow_, she thought. Finally, she slowly opened her eyes and her eyes went wide.

_Mmmm.....something smells good!_ Ash thought. _Eggs_, he thought. He could almost see and taste the food in his mouth as he lay there with his eyes closed. He moved a little and it was then that he felt something somewhat heavy on his chest. Not opening his eyes, he lifted his left arm to feel what the heavy thing was and it felt like, _A hand?_ he thought. Strange. And what was this beside him? He felt someone's presence beside him. He turned his head and opened his eyes, which went wide.

As it turned out, Ash and Misty had opened their eyes at the same time and were staring at each other. Then suddenly, they erupted, each one blushing like mad tomatoes.

"You pervert! How dare you!" 

"Me!? You're the one with your arm around me and away from your sleeping bag! I was on mine!"

"Well you know about how I move around a lot sometimes! It was your fault for putting your sleeping bag so close to me!"

"It is not my fault!"

"Is so!"

"Is not!"

"Is so!"

"Is not!"

"Is so!"

"Not!"

"So!"

"Not!"

"So!"

"Not!"

"So!"

They would have kept arguing until they forgot what it was that they were arguing about in the first place but were interrupted by them first getting shocked and then by a voice in their heads, yelling at them. 

First of all, Pikachu had been woken up by the two teens. He knew of their arguments and most of the time tolerated them because Brock always had them under control. But anyone who disturbed the pokemon's sleep was the next target for shock practice no matter who it was. The shock worked but then, Misty and Ash were shocked again but not literally.

The voice in their heads surprised them. At first, Misty was confused and then she understood. It was Serena. She was yelling at them mentally saying, I can hear you two yelling all the way here by the creek! Keep it down before you wake up the entire forest! You don't want bugs everywhere do you? I hate bugs you know!

But Ash was still unaccustomed to his new friend's powers. "What-what was that?" he asked looking around.

Misty laughed. "That was Serena talking to us in our minds."

"Can we talk to her back like that?" Ash asked. Both had forgotten their argument from moments before as always. And Serena's telepathic message had gotten them interested in something else.

Shaking her head she started rolling up her sleeping back. "Only she can talk to us. But we can't talk to her because we're not psychics."

"Oh." Ash too began rolling up his sleeping bag. Sleeping bag. Sleeping. _Oh my gosh. Misty was sleeping right beside me with her arm on my chest. Okay, that doesn't mean anything to me. I mean, she's only one of my friends. Just one of my more pretty friends. Hey! Stop thinking like that. Friends. Friends. Only friends. Too bad. I'd love to go out with her but we're only friends. But she was so close! At least if I die any time soon, I'll know die knowing that at least I got that close to her._ Ash began blushing at how he was thinking. He couldn't start liking her now. Well, he didn't. He'd started liking her from when he was old enough to actually start taking interest in girls. When he was twelve. Thoughts kept running through his head and he kept his head and eyes down, avoiding Misty's so that she couldn't see the crimson spots that had appeared on his cheeks.

_I had my arm around him! Oh how embarrassing!_ Misty thought. _Of course, it was kind of cool. I mean, I've wanted to do that forever. But what if he figures out that I like him and have liked him since I was like, eleven!? Oh god no. That would be so embarrassing. I couldn't take the rejection. But oh well. I still was that close to Ash Ketchum. But we'll only always be friends. He never notices me. Only other girls like Giselle and he even offered his shirt to my best friend! But has he ever done that for me? No._ She sighed and began to blush as well, avoiding Ash, not knowing that he was avoiding her as they finished rolling up their sleeping bags and packed them away. 

They sat away from each other as Brock handed them breakfast. "Eggs I found. But I can save 'em for you if you want to go wash up first Misty," he said.

She shook her head. "Later. I'm famished," and took the plate. Ash had already begun to gobble up his.

Just then, Serena walked back, face washed, hair tied back in a ponytail. She wore blue flares and a red t-shirt that read, "I Am Psychic" with a picture of an Abra on the back. 

"Cool shirt," Brock commented.

"Thanks. Misty gave it to me before I left for my journey. I still have it though it shrunk some. I'm glad you gave me a large size then Misty!" Serena sat down beside her and took the plate Brock offered.

"That's the reason I got it. I can't believe you're still wearing it!" Misty said with a laugh as she took a bite of toast. Beside her, Togepi pulled her clothes and she fed it bits.

"Togepi is so cute Mist!" Serena said while tickling Togepi a little. 

Misty smiled. She felt weird. Serena was the only other person to have ever called her by 'Mist' for the longest time. It was a best friend thing. She would call her Rena. But then, Ash had come along and he had called her 'Mist' quite a few times and when he did, it made her feel...well, nice.

"So," Brock said sitting down beside Ash with his own breakfast. "What's on the agenda for today?" 

Ash gulped down some water and said, "Well, we're supposed to be headed back to Pallet remember? Mom wants me back home for a few days since we're so much closer than were a few weeks ago."

It was then that Serena remember another reason she was so intent on finding Misty. "Misty! Remember how your sisters always have the Annual Cerulean City Ball?" 

At this, Misty's eyes widened with recollection. "Oh yeah! Oh my gosh! I haven't been to host one since I left! When's it this year?"

"In a few days," Serena replied eating some egg.

"Are you serious, Rena? We have to go! We're both together and I can't miss it again! I just kept forgetting with all this other stuff going on and my sisters probably forgot to tell me or we were too far to make it back in time."

"Yup. I just was in Cerulean last week. Your sisters know that I was still hoping to see you so they told me that they had gotten in touch with Ash's mom and that they found out that that's where you were headed. So I came down here hoping to find you and I did!"

"Well then, it's settled. Cerulean City, Misty and Serena are coming back!" 

All this time, Ash and Brock were too busy with their food to take notice of anything the girls were saying but the last part that Misty had belted out, they caught and were now staring at the girls who had suddenly gone quite giggly. 

"Did you just say Cerulean City Misty?" Ash asked finally finished.

She nodded. "We have to start today so we can get there in time for the ball."

"Ball? Like the one that they throw down every year on New Year's?" 

"No idiot! It's the Annual Cerulean City Ball!" Misty said rolling her eyes.

Ash retorted, "I am not an idiot!"

"Are too!" 

"Am -" 

Again, they stopped fighting because again, Serena was telling them to do so in their heads. She found it much easier to quiet people down by talking to them in their mind rather than try to yell over them.

"Thank you. Ash, Brock, the Annual Cerulean City Ball is one that the Cerulean Gym has been holding every year since who knows when. Misty, I haven't been to the ball since I left either so this year, I'd be wonderful if we both went. And you two are welcome to come too!" Serena said looking over to them.

"Well Ash, what do you say?" Misty asked.

He thought for a minute. "Well, I told my mom that I'd be going home. She really wants to see me."

"Please? Please, pretty please Ash?" Misty pleaded giving him her best puppy dog-eyes. It worked and Ash soon gave in. 

"I'll just have to let my mom know then."

"Actually, she might be at the ball. I'm sure she's been invited along with Professor Oak and..." Serena suddenly got a dazed far away look in her eyes and she smiled. "Gary Oak."

"Gary!" Ash said his still-rival's name like it was a curse word.

Serena didn't appear to have heard the disdain in his voice for she continued in her faraway voice, which had to make Misty giggle. "Yes Gary. Isn't he the most wonderful? And a great pokemon trainer. He's as good as me. I hope he goes to the ball." Then, almost as suddenly she had drifted into her dreamland, she drifted out only to see two amused and one crushed face staring at her. "What?"

Misty giggled again. "You've fallen for Gary Oak!? I would never have believed that my best friend would fall for someone like him!" 

Ash nodded in agreement. "I can't believe that you did fall for him. You're such a good trainer and definitely much too good for him!" he declared.

"Noooo! She chose that Gary over meee!" Brock wailed. 

Serena looked at the group and shook her head, deciding to defend Gary instead of trying to tell Brock, again, that she was not interested in the sixteen-year old. "Look, I don't know why you think he's so bad! He's really sweet once you get to know him and like I said, a good trainer as well."

"Just how do you know him?" Ash asked. 

She shrugged. "We met at the Pokemon Trainer's Convention last year. I had heard about him from other trainers saying how tough he is so I decided to check him out. I challenged him to a battle. I must say Ash, he's kind of like you. Thought he would beat my Rapidash with a water-type. Actually, he almost nearly did because his Starmie was really strong. It kind of reminded me of battling with you Misty. Anyhow, I beat him with my Jynx against his Gastly. After that, he thought I was really good and we started talking and then battled once more. We tied. And then we just kind of traveled for a while. And then split up cause he wanted to get more training in and we were headed in different directions. Haven't seen him since."

"Well maybe you'll get lucky and see him at the ball. After all, my sisters always invite the best trainers from around as well. Even though I don't know what you could have possibly seen in him but if that's what you want..." Misty trailed off. 

Brock stood up. He had finally accepted defeat after listening to the tone in which Serena talked about Gary. "I think we should be on our way. It'll take us at least a day to get to Cerulean. But at least we're closer to Cerulean than Pallet."

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Ash said jumping up with Pikachu on his shoulder. 

"I never thought I'd see the day when Ash Ketchum, Mr. Pokemon Trainer would get so excited about going to a ball," Misty smirked.

The fifteen-year old turned slightly red in the face. "Ha ha. Well if you don't want to go, we could always go back to Pa-"

"No! Come on! You're right. Let's go!" Misty grabbed Ash's arm before he could change his mind and pulled him off. 

"Wait! I haven't packed up my sleeping bag!" Serena called after them

"Oh no! I left my bag!" Misty exclaimed running back. 

"And you almost made me leave mine in your haste to leave!" Ash said running back after her. 

"My haste? You mean yours. You're the one who was the first one to say, 'Let's go'!" 

"Was not!" 

"Was so!" 

"Shut up!" 

Brock sighed as he watched his three younger companions shout after one another, mostly in a playful way. "Kids." He muttered as he packed up his gear into his large camping backpack and hoisted up upon his shoulder, but he smiled as saying it. 

Serena came running by him, chased by Ash and Misty. She was grinning and they were blushing and yelling at her. Obviously, she must have said something about them liking each other. That was the only time the two paired up to gang up on a friend. 

"How have you put up with these two after all these years?" she yelled running around here and there with the other two chasing. 

"I'm used to it by now. But you should have an easier time with your psychic powers. I mean, you could just stop them from chasing you," Brock said.

"True." Serena stopped suddenly and did what Brock asked only a little more than stop her two pursuers. Her eyes glowed red as Misty was suddenly lifted into the air. Not too high but just enough and Serena positioned her just under Ash. "Catch her Ash!" she said in a giddy voice as she suddenly let go of Misty with her mind. Unexpectedly, but as if on instinct, Ash held out his arms to where Misty fell perfectly. Ash staggered a bit under the sudden weight but he kept his balance.

"Wonderful catch Romeo!" Serena clapped along with Brock who whistled.

Ash and Misty blushed and Ash realizing that he still held Misty, quickly dropped her. "Ouch! You could have dropped me a little gently and warned me first!" she said getting up and rubbing her backside when she heard a familiar voice in her head. 

Ash and Misty sittin' in a tree! Serena sang in Misty's head. Fortunately for her, Serena hadn't broadcasted the telepathic message to Ash as well because Misty just kept on blushing.

"You!" she turned to her best friend.

"Uh oh," Serena said and began to run, orange backpack oh shoulders. She could always use her powers but where was the fun in that?

"Come back here!" Misty yelled after her.

"Hey! I have a bone to pick with you too!" Ash followed behind. 

"Hey this is an almost familiar scene only with an extra person," Brock said and then ran after the three crazy teens. 

*****Author's Note*****

Finally there was *some* amount of romance…I guess. As I mentioned in the beginning, I wrote this fic a loooong time ago. I started writing it when I wasn't that great at romance writing so yeah, that's why there's a slight lack. But we're getting there! That's why Serena's here…to help the clueless couple get together! Anyway, enough chitter chatter, go and review please!

**_*Maura*_**

****

**P.S. If you would like me to e-mail you next time I post, please let me know and leave your e-mail address. Thanks!**

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**I decided to be nice and give you all a preview of Chapter 4 ^_^ :**

"So Ash, are you planning to ask Misty to the ball?" Gary asked smoothly as if he were talking about Pokemon.

            For perhaps the millionth time in the last few days, Ash blushed. "Misty? Why should I ask her?"

            "Well," Ralph said. "Maybe the tiny fact that you like her."

            Tomato red was what Ash's face and neck was now. "Like HER!? Are you out of your mind!?" 

            "No." 

            "So, when will you ask her?" Brock asked. 

            "I don't know what you're talking about. And it's not like she'd go with me anyway if I did ask her," Ash said not quite meeting the gaze of the three guys.

            Gary grinned more widely. "Well, you'll never know unless you ask."


	4. Cerulean City Shopping

*****Author's Note*****

I'm grateful for your reviews once again! Now please, do read on!

Disclaimer: I own Serena.

A Few Helpful Pushes 

Chapter 4: Cerulean City Shopping

"Are we almost there yet Ash?" Misty asked the boy weakly. Night was almost falling upon them and they were still walking. It took all her strength to keep standing but she was losing energy quickly. They had stopped for lunch and then a few more times on the way but other than that, they had continued onward.

            Ash, as always in the lead, kept walking and Serena wondered where the boy got so much energy from for she too was about to fall.

            "It looks like," Ash said suddenly stopping and consulting the map in his hands. "It looks like we're about two miles away from Cerulean. If we keep going, we could get there in a few hours."

            "No!" Misty groaned and collapsed onto the grass. "We're not going to keep going. We are going to camp out here. We're all too tired to go on Ash."

            Ash turned around to look at the straggling group and then turned his head to the sky. "You're right. Okay, tomorrow morning, if we leave early enough, we'll be in Cerulean. For now, let's get a fire made and start dinner."

            Like the night before, the four teens sat around the campfire eating their dinner. This time however, there was no fresh fish. Instead, they were eating beans from the can. For a while, no one spoke as they consumed the food, too hungry to think about anything or anyone else but then, Serena realized that there was something she had never found out. 

            "Ash," she began. He looked up, still eating. "I never got the chance to ask you. Are you still training for the Pokemon League or what? I mean, what are your plans?"

            For a moment, Ash thought. At first, he thought that Misty would take a crack at him but realized that she was too tired to think about teasing him. Shrugging, he said, "Well, I competed in the Pokemon League after the first year of traveling and training. I came out in the Top Sixteen. Then I went to the Orange League and won that. Afterwards, I competed in the Jhoto League and came out in fifth place. Now, I guess you could say that I'm still training to go back into the Pokemon League. If I win that, I can try for the Jhoto League once more." He stopped to take a drink. "What about you?"

            Now Misty was somewhat more awake. "Yeah. Last night, you never mentioned anything about competing in any of the Leagues. What's the story on that?"

            "Well," Serena said thoughtfully. "I guess you could say that I competed in the Pokemon League same time as you Ash. Of course, I didn't compete against you nor did I see you. But I came out in the Top Sixteen as well. In the Orange League, I was quite close to winning and I haven't gone for the Jhoto League yet. I do want to be a really good trainer but mostly, I want my own gym."

            "That sounds like a good plan," Brock said. 

            Serena shrugged. "Yeah. But I still have to keep working at it. I guess right now, I'm taking a break." Then she grinned and changed the subject. "Oh I can't wait to get to Cerulean! I heard that the mall's got a new dress store! We have got to check it out Misty!" 

            "Really? I wonder what color I should get?" Misty wondered, Togepi asleep in her arms. 

            "I have an idea." Serena put her empty plate down and walked over to her backpack. She pulled out what looked like a magazine and brought it over. "This is the catalog for Freshia Fashions."

            "Freshia Fashions?" Ash asked, rolling his eyes. "What kind of name is that?"

            "A name with class Ash," Misty replied and then proceeded to look through the catalog with Serena.

            The two sat side-by-side flipping the pages, giggling, and pointing at different dresses. Ash shook his head. He always wondered why girls got so worked just about clothes. And even being with Misty for so long, he never figured it out. Oh well. _No matter what she wears, she'll always look pretty to me_. He sighed. _I wish I could ask her to the ball but she'd never want to go with me. She'll probably go with some guy from Cerulean and forget all about me. That's why she's choosing a dress now._ Ash shook his head, trying to clear his brain and decided to start cleaning up. 

            As Misty looked at dress after dress in the catalog with Serena, she felt her sprits rise. Maybe if she wore something really elegant from this store, Ash would finally notice her. _Oh I hope he asks me to be his date to the ball!_ She thought. _Me in my beautiful gown and him in a cute little tux. We'd pull up in front of the gym in a limo and everyone would vote us the cutest couple. But that's just a fantasy. I mean, he'll probably fall for some other girl who's prettier than me. _Misty sighed. _I guess I'll just have to find out at the ball. _

            Meanwhile, while these two were thinking about each other, Serena was sending telepathic messages to Brock even though she pretended to be looking at the catalog with Misty. Luckily, her eyes didn't glow when she did this otherwise Ash and Misty would know she was using her powers. 

            Brock at first, was surprised at receiving a message from Serena in his head for this was the first time she had talked to him like this but after a few seconds, he was used to it. Although he could not answer he, he 'listened' to her thoughtfully. 

Hi Brock! Serena here obviously. Now listen, don't make any actions or movements to show that I'm talking to you like this. Okay, now obviously, we both know what's going on with Ash and Misty. Of course you know. If you didn't then you'd be just plain stupid considering you've been traveling with them forever. But since you do know, you're not stupid. Anyways, we have to push Ash and Misty towards each other. I know Misty well enough to know that she'd never admit her feelings for Ash and I'm guessing Ash is the same way. 

Here, Brock nodded unconsciously. 

Don't nod! 

Brock jumped and then went about finishing cleaning up. 

Sorry about yelling at you. So anyway, the ball will be the perfect atmosphere to get those two together but I'm gonna need your help. You work with Ash and I'll work with Misty. Try to first get him to admit to you that he does like Misty. I'll do the same thing. But don't push too hard. In the meantime, I'm also going to be talking to each of them separately like this, saying little things that will make them blush and come closer to realizing that they have to tell each other. I think I'll also do a few numbers like I did yesterday with Misty in the air. Nod slightly if you agree.

 Brock did as instructed. 

Well, thanks for listening. I can't wait to start on our plan. G'night! 

And then, there was silence in his head. He shook it a little. _Boy! That girl can talk!_ He thought. He was beginning to think that she would never shut up but her plan sounded like a good one. 

            But how to talk to Ash without getting pounded by the younger boy? Sighing, Brock began to fix up his sleeping bag. _I'll think about that later. Right now, I need to sleep!_

            Misty, you like Ash don't you? 

Misty glared at Serena who stood beside her, grinning and then she began to talk to Ash about Pokemon. Misty shook her head. They were nearing Cerulean City and would be there in about ten minutes, according to Brock. But during the last two miles, Serena periodically kept sending her little messages. One, two sentences about her and Ash. About how she should tell Ash that she liked him and then she'd just turn away to talk to either Ash or Brock about something else.

            Misty had whispered back that she didn't and Serena would just smile, making Misty not know whether to hug her friend for trying to help or to pound her for interfering. The redhead was also sure that Serena was sending similar messages to Ash for once or twice when she'd sneak a glance at him, she saw him blushing and give Serena a furious look. 

            And Misty also noticed that whenever Brock saw her or Ash blushing out of the blue, he's smile knowingly. Those two were up to something. Probably some scheme to get her and Ash together. Secretly, she was glad for the help. Maybe one of them could find out if Ash liked her or not. Even if he didn't at least she'd know for sure. Oh her thoughts were getting so jumbled up! Misty decided not to think about anything else until they reached her hometown.

            "Oh little sister! How are you?" Daisy wrapped her arms around Misty to give her a hug. Once she let go, Violet and then Lily each proceeded to give her hugs. Once done, they turned to Serena, hugging her as well. The group was standing inside Misty's house, which was located just behind the gym.

            Daisy sniffled a little. "What's wrong Dais?" Misty asked.

            "Oh I can't believe you two are here together again! You and Serena. It's been so long since you two have caused trouble here together," Daisy replied.

            Serena smiled. "Well, don't worry. Soon enough, there'll be more trouble than you can handle and you'll want us gone again."

            Laughing, the three older sisters now looked to the boys. "So, I see you're still following around your boyfriend? Of course," Lily, studied Ash, ignoring the fact that both Ash and Misty were about to blow. "Now I can see why you chose him. A few years ago I couldn't but now, you've gotten quite cute Ash."

            "He's NOT my boyfriend! How many times to I have to tell you that!?" Misty exclaimed.

            For once, Ash said nothing. He was blushing too much from Lily's comment. No one had ever directly told him that he was 'cute' and although it felt nice to know that at least he was good-looking, the only one he wanted to look 'cute' towards was currently yelling her head off at her older siblings.

            "Geez, calm down Misty!" Violet said. 

            Misty took a deep breath. 

            "Now, the ball is tomorrow. We, like, have to go shopping today!" Daisy said.

            At this, Brock and Ash decided to try and sneak out but were stopped by a curt voice.

            "You boys will be going to Taylor's. It's the most fancy store around for guy's clothes. But we're going shopping later. First, lunch."

            Brock and Ash sighed reluctantly. So much for getting away with shopping.

            After a fabulous lunch, which was cooked up by Brock, everyone headed out. They began walking towards the mall when three people ran up to them.

            "Ash! Misty!" a girl's voice cried out. 

            They looked up to see a girl their age with a Nidoqueen running towards them. Behind her, a boy also their age came with a Nidoking. Off to the side and not quite with them, was another boy. This one without a Pokemon following him but his face was recognizable. Especially to Serena.

            "Gary!"

            Ash, Misty, Serena, and Brock walked up to the three, leaving Misty's sisters waiting back.

            "Emily, it's good to see you!" Misty said hugging the girl.

            "You too," Emily replied.

            To their right, Ash was talking to the boy. "Ralph. Your Nidorino evolved! Congratulations."

            Ralph grinned. "Thanks. Your Pikachu looks in good shape." He nodded to the yellow Pokemon atop Ash's head.

            Ash now turned to his archenemy. "Gary," he said nodding to show that he acknowledged his presence. But to his utter surprise, Gary didn't even seem to have appeared to notice him. Instead, he and Serena were just looking at each other, blushing, and looking like they didn't know what to say. 

            He watched as Gary finally started talking but he sounded nervous. "He-hey Serena. Long time no see."

            Serena in turn looked just as nervous as Gary. Ash, being Ash, could not reason why they looked like this, but it made him grin to see his nemesis look so nervous. Even Serena whom he had thought to be so tough now looked like she was melting under Gary's gaze. Ash made eye contact with Misty and they both grinned. Misty looked like she was trying not to laugh.

            "Yeah. How's it been?" Serena asked, a dazed look in her eyes.

            Gary shrugged, trying to regain his normal, cool composure. "Pretty good. Caught some new pokemon down the road. How about you?"

            "Same here. So, uh...what brings you here?" Serena asked.

            At this, Gary smiled. "Probably the same thing you're here for. The Cerulean City Ball." 

            "Oh of course!" Serena said with a laugh. How could she have been so stupid? Duh. Most all the trainers that were here, were here for the ball. She mentally smacked herself for getting so caught up in the moment.

            "So," Gary now finally turned to the others. "Ash Ketchum is here too, huh?" He grinned. "I thought only good Pokemon trainers were invited."

            "They were. I suppose they just invited you by accident," the shorter boy replied. 

            Sensing that the two might start bickering and shooting comments at each other, Misty quickly interrupted. "Hey guys. I have an idea. Since we're all obviously here for the ball, why don't you two call a truce? That way we can ALL enjoy ourselves." She looked back and forth between Gary and Ash holding her breath.

            They stared at each other for a moment and no one moved. Then, "So Ash, what say we guys go to Taylor's together?"

Ash, Misty, Serena, Gary, Brock, Emily, Ralph, Violet, Daisy, and Lily all headed to the mall together. Once there, they spilt up. The guys headed towards Taylor's and the girls went for Fresha Fashions. But before Ash and the others left, Daisy handed him something.

            "Here. Charge the clothes you all get with this credit card. I'm sure you like have no money so that should be enough. And you'll like, get a discount since you're special guests of the gym. And remember to meet us back here at the entrance by like, six o'clock. Okay?"

            Ash looked down at his watch. It read 1:00. "Six!? What do we need five hours for?" he exclaimed.

            Misty answered for Daisy. "Ash, sometimes, I don't get you. Of course we need five hours. There are six of us. We each need the perfect dress and there's so many to choose from! Duh." 

            "Well excuuse me for not being a girl! It only takes guys like, three seconds to pick out clothes," Ash shot back.

            "For you anyway. That's why your clothes always look like you picked them out from the store with your eyes closed."

            "At least I-" Ash was cut off by Brock and Gary pulling him away with Ralph following. "Hey! I'm not finished!"

            Brock waved to the girls. "Six it is. We'll just hang around until then. And Ash, you can flirt with Misty later. Plenty of time for that."

            Ash just blushed. Why, why, why did everyone have to make loud comments like that in front of everyone else? It just wasn't fair. 

            At six, the four boys stood around the entrance, waiting for the girls. Each held a bag or two with their clothing and shoes. Of course, since they did have a credit card, they had gotten a few extra items but no one needed to know about that. 

            Six-thirty came around and they still waited. "I knew it! This is just like the time we went to the Princess Festival and had to wait for Misty to get all that clothes. And she was just one girl." Ash exploded with a sigh to follow.

            At the mention of Misty, Brock's eyes lit up. Here was the perfect chance to make hints to Ash. He caught the eyes of Gary and Ralph and mouthed 'Misty'. They grinned in response. 

            "So Ash, are you planning to ask Misty to the ball?" Gary asked smoothly as if he were talking about Pokemon.

            For perhaps the millionth time in the last few days, Ash blushed. "Misty? Why should I ask her?"

            "Well," Ralph said. "Maybe the tiny fact that you like her."

            Tomato red was what Ash's face and neck was now. "Like HER!? Are you out of your mind!?" 

            "No." 

            "So, when will you ask her?" Brock asked. 

            "I don't know what you're talking about. And it's not like she'd go with me anyway if I did ask her," Ash said not quite meeting the gaze of the three guys.

            Gary grinned more widely. "Well, you'll never know unless you ask."

            "I refuse."

            "Look, we all know that you like her," Brock began and held up his hands to silence Ash, seeing that he was getting ready to shout at him once more. "Yes, it's very obvious from the way you two fight. Isn't the right guys?" 

Ralph and Gary nodded together. 

"Come on! It's not that hard!" Gary urged.

            Ash looked up at him, face a mixture of emotions. "Oh yeah? Then you ask Serena when they get here!" 

            "Umm..." Gary was flustered. 

            "Even thinking about it isn't so easy is it?" 

            "Why don't you both ask together?" Ralph suggested. 

            Gary looked at him. "Or how about this? You ask Emily, I'll ask Serena, and Ash here will ask Misty."

            Now it was Ralph's turn to blush. "I never said I liked her." He mumbled.

            Ash grinned. "Yeah, but it's obvious."

            "Just like you and Misty," Brock pointed out. "So, first thing's first. Just admit that you like her. Once you do, it'll be much easier to ask the question."

            "Fine fine," Ash said and then looked around quickly to make sure that the girls weren't about to pop up on them. "I admit that I do like Misty."

            "Woo-hoo!" Brock shouted and exchanged hive-fives with the other two.

            Ash looked up. "Sheesh. What's there to get so excited about?"

            Brock grinned at him. "I've been traveling with the two of you for four years and I have been waiting ever since for you to admit that! And viola! Here they all come! You three can ask right now." Then, his face fell. "But who do I ask?"

            Brock looked so crestfallen than Ash patted him on the back. "Cheer up. Remember that girl...what was her name? The one with the Marril? Maybe she'll show up."

            At this, Brock's face lightened. "Willhemina. Yeah."

            Now, the six girls were approaching and were standing right in front of the guys. Ash, instead of asking Misty to the ball, did what he always did whenever he got nervous around her. "What took you so long!?" 

            "It's not that easy to pick out the perfect dress you know!" Misty responded.

            Ash rolled his eyes, taking no notice of Brock, Gary, and Ralph who were shaking their head at him. "It's just a ball."

            "Maybe to you but a ball is the place where people always find their true love!" 

            "Love-smuve. I'm goin' for the food."

            "Arrgg!" Misty threw her hands up in the air, each of which held a shopping back. "You're impossible." And with that, she stalked out of the mall to wait for the rest.

            Ash watched her go and then felt the urge to go run after her and apologize and then ask her to the ball. But she had hinted that she was going to the ball to find someone she liked. And that obviously wasn't going to be him. He had blown the perfect chance. Why did he always do that?

            Meanwhile, Gary was looking at Serena nervously. If Ash didn't ask Misty with all the encouragement they gave him, it was his loss. But he didn't want to mess up like that idiot. He casually walked up to Serena, bags still in hand. "Umm...I could hold those for you." He indicated to the three shopping bags she held. 

            Serena smiled making Gary want to look at her forever. "I'm fine but thanks. It looks like your hands are full anyway."

            "Oh of course. So umm..."

            "Yeah."

            "Listen, are you uh...by any chance not going to the ball with anyone?" Gary asked knowing he must have sounded like a complete dork.

            "Oh just ask me!" Serena said taking Gary aback.

            He widened his eyes and then grinned. "All right. Do you want to go to the ball with me?"

            "I thought you'd never ask!" Serena said, gave the boy a peck on the cheek making him go red, and skipped outside to join Misty.

            While all this went on, Ralph figured it was his turn. He still couldn't believe that Ash had messed up the perfect chance so badly. Maybe he could talk to him later but right now, Emily was on his mind. He stepped closer to the blond-haired girl and shot her a lopsided grin. 

            "Hey Emily. Have fun shopping?" he asked.

            She smiled back. "There were so many beautiful dresses to choose from! But I finally found one I really liked and I hope it looks good on me."

            "Oh I'm sure it will. You look pretty in anything. I mean-" Ralph blushed, realizing what he had just said. "I mean-uh..."

            Emily giggled. 

            Ralph gulped and then looked hopefully into her eyes. "Uh...would you maybe want to go to the ball with me?"

            "Of course silly!" Emily hugged Ralph and then seeing Serena go outside, bounded after her.

            When all three younger girls had left the mall interior, the older ones were left with the younger boys. But mostly, they focused on Ash.

            "I can't believe you!" Violet exclaimed, shaking a finger in the boy's face.

            He looked bewildered. "What did I do?"

            "If you don't know then you're not worth it!" came the reply and the three older Cerulean beauties walked out, purse swinging by their hips and arms full of shopping bags. 

            "Ash," Brock said as they exited. "You can be so dense sometimes that I just want to strangle you."

*****Author's Note*****

And that, ladies and gentleman, was chapter 4. Hope you enjoyed it and don't forget to read and review!

Peace and love,

_*Maura*_

**Preview of Chapter 5:**

"So Ashy," Serena began, ignoring the glare that came her way. "I was thinking, since neither you or Melody have dates to the ball, why don't you go with each other?"

            Ash immediately began blushing and tried not to look at Melody as he spoke. "Melody? Umm...actually, I was thinking of not going at all."

            "Nonsense!" Melody exclaimed with a big grin. "It'll be perfect! I mean, why not? Misty's not your girlfriend and you're not her boyfriend so what's the matter? Ash, you are going and you are going with me, got it?"


	5. Flying Pandas and Complications

*****Author's Note*****

As usual, thanks for the reviews! This chapter is slightly longer than the others I think. Hopefully it's a good thing. ^_~ And I decided to do some review responses this time because you've all been so nice. So they are at the end! 

Disclaimer: You know it. I know it. I don't own it. So why say it? (I'm such a dork. Lol.)

A Few Helpful Pushes 

Chapter 5: Flying Pandas and Complications__

"I am not talking to him!" Misty shouted at Serena and flung a pillow at her. They had all come home, with the exception of Ralph, Emily, and Gary who were staying in hotels. 

         Serena caught the pillow mid-air with her mind and sent it back to its owner. "Why not? Its no use being mad at him just because he _pretended_ to be mad for us being so late."

         Misty looked up and glared. "It's not that."

         "Oh? Then what is it? No wait, let me guess. You were hoping that Ash would ask you to the ball but he didn't so now you're not talking to him." Serena saw that Misty was no longer looking at her. "Oh I actually guessed correctly?"

         Another pillow came her way. This time, she just caught it with her hands. "Look, what if he was planning to ask you at home in private? Maybe he didn't want anyone else around. How is he supposed to ask you now if you don't even talk to him? Or even come out of your room?"

         "Too bad." 

         Serena sighed. "You can be so stubborn sometimes! But you know, you're going to have to go pee sometime or eat something and there's no way I'm bringing the toilet or any food in here for you."

         This time, a black-and-white stuffed panda flew towards her. "Hey! I'm trying to help you here and you in turn are trying to kill me with flying pillows and pandas!"

         "Ha ha," came the reply.

         "Fine. If you don't want help, it's your loss. Don't come crawling to me when I'm having fun at the ball with Gary and you could be having fun at the ball with Ash." Serena stood up and grabbed her orange knapsack. "I'm going down to my parents for a while. I'll be back later."

         Downstairs, out on the patio, Brock and Ash lounged around. 

         "I can't believe you blew it!" Brock exclaimed, looking at the younger boy.

         "I know, I know!" Ash grumbled. "It was the perfect chance and I messed up. But it doesn't matter because she doesn't like me anyway. She said herself that she was going to the ball to find her true love or something like that. I think I just won't go to the ball at all."

         Brock sighed. "You are talking like a madman! Here I am without a date or without anyone to ask and the girl that you like is only upstairs! Not too far and you're not going to ask her!?" 

         Ash closed his eyes and groaned. "No."

         "Well, I tried."

         "Serena! Serena!" a voice called out. She had just left her adopted parent's house moments ago and was headed towards the photo shop to pick up her pictures. Turning, she saw a tall, young teenager, the same age as her, running towards her. 

         Stopping, she waited for him to catch up. Once he did, she smiled up at him. "Hey Ritchie! Haven't seen you in a long while."

         The boy grinned back down at her. "You either. How's it going cuz?"

         "Not bad, not bad. Just stopped by my parents."

         "Ah. How are Aunt Jaime and Uncle Ken?"

         "Good. So, you here for the ball?"

         Ritchie nodded. "Yup. Guess you are too."

         Serena shifted her backpack on her shoulders. "You guessed right. So, who'd you ask?"

         At this, her cousin blushed slightly. "Uh...no one actually. I was hoping to ask this one -"

         "Perfect!" Serena suddenly exclaimed. "I have an idea if you'll help me."

         The teen arched an eyebrow. "Every time I've helped you Serena, there's always trouble."

         "Oh come on! You've gotta help me! We're cousins after all!"

         Ritchie smiled teasingly. "Not real cousins. You're not even Aunt Jaime and Uncle Ken's _real_ daughter."

         Serena shrugged and waved a hand casually. "It's all the same if you believe it in your heart. Now come on!"

         Her cousin sighed as he allowed her to drag him off towards a park bench so she could tell him her 'brilliant' plan.

         It was almost eight o'clock when Serena walked into the Waterflower house with Ritchie behind her. The others had already sat down, ready to start dinner. She dragged the boy into the kitchen. 

         "Everyone, I'd like you to meet my cousin -"

         "Ritchie!" 

         "Ash!"

         Serena looked confused. Or at least pretended to. "You two already know each other?"

         Ash had jumped up from his seat along with Misty and Brock. "Yeah. We met at the Pokemon League and uh...he's the one who beat me."

         Ritchie grinned. "How's it been Ash?" He turned to Brock. "Yo Brocko!" Then, he looked at Misty. "Misty! How are you? Wow, you have gotten really pretty!"

         Misty blushed and looked down while Ash shot Ritchie a furious look, which he missed.

         "Well," Serena said. "Since you all know each other, there's no need for introductions. Daisy, do you guys mind if Ritchie has dinner with us?"

         Daisy shook her head and smiled. "Nope. Just, like, pull up a chair and let's start. This meal Brock cooked up smells wonderful!"

         After dinner, Ritchie asked Misty to go for a walk along the beach. Hesitantly, she glanced at Ash and seeing that he was poring over a Pokemon Digest magazine, she agreed and slipped out with him. 

         As they walked, Misty couldn't help wondering what was up with the boy. When they had first met, he just seemed like a good friend. Now, he was acting like he had a crush on her. She had to admit, Ritchie did look good. His muscles bulged slightly and his hair was spiked up. He had lost the outfit he wore before and now had on black jeans and a blue t-shirt. Yet, he couldn't compare to Ash in someway. 

         They continued walking along, silently when Ritchie finally spoke up. "So uh...Misty. Are you going to the ball with anyone?"

         _Oh god he's gonna ask me! But I want Ash to ask me!_ Out loud, she said, "No. Not yet."

         "Oh, well I was uh...wondering if you'd maybe…like to go with me?"

         _He did ask me! What do I say? Well, Ash didn't ask me and at least someone did and Ritchie's not bad. Oh someone help!_

         "Well?" Ritchie implored.

         "I-I," Misty stuttered. Then she remembered the way Ash had said that he was only going to the ball for food. Surely he couldn't like her and she had to go with someone. "I'd love to Ritchie."

         Later on, Ritchie had walked Misty home and then went on his way towards the hotel he was staying at. Misty bounced into the living room where everyone was. Her sisters were watching a movie while Brock lay snoozing on the couch. Ash, she noted, was still engrossed in his magazine. _Forget him! I've got a date_. She took a seat on the floor beside Serena who was busy doodling in a notebook, not noticing her best friend.

         "Gary and Serena. Gary and Serena Oak. Mrs. Gary Oak," Misty read aloud with a grin.

         Serena jumped and snapped her notebook shut, blushing madly. "You sneak!"

         "Interesting. I never thought that anyone would actually want to _marry_ Gary! Especially at _this_ age!" 

         "Shut up!" Serena glared and then quickly changed the topic. "So, what happened?"

         "What do you mean?" Misty asked, leaning against the couch.

         Serena looked at her. "You know very well what I mean. Did Ritchie ask you to the ball or something?"

         "Wait a minute," Misty's eyes narrowed dangerously in suspicion. "Did you set me up or something?"

         The psychic girl's eyes widened in complete innocence. "What!? Why would I do that? I'm just asking because you're eyes are shining with happiness and it seemed to me that he really took a liking to you."

         "Oh," Misty said but there was something that told her that Serena was hiding a secret. "Well anyways, yes, he did ask me in fact. He's actually pretty cute."

         Serena wrinkled her nose. "Well, even though we're not real, blood cousins, we like to think we are and we've been brought up that way, I'd rather not like to think him cute. He's like a brother to me."

         Misty laughed. "Well he is cute." She didn't notice the glares that Ash was shooting at her from behind his magazine while the two girls chatted.

         _Ritchie! I can't believe my own friend would go and do that. Of course, it's my fault for waiting so long to ask. Why must I always be the idiot!? Arrg! Now she likes him and I'll never know if she ever did like me. She probably didn't. Ash you dolt! Well, fine, if Misty can go with Ritchie, I can most certainly go with someone else._

         As Serena and Misty continued talking, Daisy, Lily, and Violet were whispering to one another quietly. "Do you really think the plan will, like, work?" Lily asked.

         Daisy nodded. "Hopefully. I mean, that dense dunce has, like, GOT to realize his feelings for Misty and tell her soon otherwise I'll, like, smash him for breaking our little sister's heart."

         "But what if that Ritchie kid really does fall for Misty and, like, vice versa?" Violet asked.

         "Don't worry. From what Serena told us, her cousin's already, like, got a crush on someone else so everything's okay. I hope." The oldest of the trio said.

         After a while, Misty said that she was tired and ready to go to bed. "Good night everyone!" she sang out.

         "Night Misty. Get some sleep, the ball's tomorrow night," Lily told her.

         "I know. I can't wait!" Misty skipped out of the room and upstairs. Serena stayed for a while and watched Ash as he still flipped through the magazine. She could tell that he really wasn't reading it because his eyebrows were scrunched up and he was flipped through the magazine too fast to be able to actually read it. 

         Why so angry Ashy? she asked. Knowing that he couldn't answer her without Misty's sisters overhearing, he just glared at her and shrugged. 

         Oh I get it. You're just jealous because my cousin asked your girl out. Tsk, tsk. Always the late one are we? At this, Ash just shot her a menacing look and stormed out of the room and upstairs, leaving Serena giggling. 

         "Like, what's so funny?" Violet asked, shutting off the television. The movie was over and now, they were ready to hit the sack. 

         "Oh nothing. Nothing at all. I have a feeling that the ball will be very interesting. Very interesting indeed," Serena said still giggling. 

         Daisy, Violet, and Lily just gave her questioning looks and Brock gave a snort and a snore, reminding the girls that he was still there.

         "Oh, uh.... Lily, you wake up him up. He can't sleep here!" Daisy told her.

         Lily shook her head. "No way! You do it Violet."

         "How about you Serena?" Violet turned to the younger girl.

         Serena rolled her eyes. "You three know him better than I do but I'll do it." She stood and walked over to the couch. Bending down, she placed her hands on Brock's shoulders and then, 

         "AAHHH!" 

         Brock looked up in surprise from his position on the floor. One minute he was sleeping, the next he was floating and then falling.

         Smiling down at him, Serena said, "Hi Brock! It's time for you to go upstairs and into bed! Can't sleep here you know. And if you do, I'll let every single girl in Cerulean in here to watch you sleeping and drooling."

         Brock groaned. "Must you always complicate everything?" 

         "Yes."

         _Ding Dong! Ding Dong!_

         Only about half of the people who were at the Waterflower house were actually fully awake the next morning, yet it still took a few moments before someone answered the door.

         "Yes?" Lily swung open the door at last, still in her robe.

         Standing on the doorstep, was a girl Misty's age who held a small sheet of paper in her hands. Looking up, she lifted the sunglasses that sat upon her nose and asked, "Hi! Is this where Misty Waterflower lives?"

         Lily looked at the girl. "That, like, depends. Who are you?"

         "Oh." The girl swung her brown hair back behind her and said, "I'm Melody, a friend of hers. I heard that she was here in Cerulean City and I just came in last night so I was wondering if she's here cause I'd love to see her."

         "In that case," Lily moved aside. "Why don't you, like, come in Melody? Misty's still sleeping I think. I'll go get her. In the meantime, why don't you step into the kitchen where Brock's, like, making some breakfast. I'll be back."

         Upstairs, Ash heard the doorbell ring and this was what had awakened him. He groaned and rubbed his eyes. Last night, he had barely gotten any sleep thinking of Misty and Ritchie. Turning over on his side, he saw Pikachu already awake and doing morning stretches on the floor. 

         "Pika!" The yellow Pokemon greeted its master.

         "Mornin' Pikachu," Ash said back but his voice was drowned out by a low grumbling. "Heh. Guess I'm hungry. And-" he sniffed the air. "Something smells good. Let's go eat buddy!" 

         Ash hurriedly grabbed his shirt, pulled it over his head, and left the room, forgetting he was still wearing his boxers. 

         On the way downstairs, he noticed that the girls' bedroom door was shut. _Guess Misty's still asleep_. He sighed and tried to get her out of his head. She was going with Ritchie and that was that. He was, as Gary always said, the loser. Even in romance. Sighing once more, he hurried down the steps and heard voices in the kitchen. One was Brock. The other, a female voice but not of any of MIsty's sisters and it couldn't be Misty or Serena. Cautiously, he walked into the kitchen.

         "Thanks for the toast. Mmmm...scrumptious!" a girl sat with her back turned to him, talking animatedly with Brock, who stood over the stove wearing an apron.

         "Ah, Ash!" Brock cried out cheerfully seeing his friend. "You're awake I see?"

         Ash nodded. "I'm hungry."

         The girl turned at this and jumped up. "Ash! It's been a while!"

         "Melody?" Ash blinked and then grinned. "Hey! It's great to see you. What're you doin' here?"

         Taking her seat once again, Melody smiled. "Came to see Misty. And I could ask you what you're doing down here in the kitchen without pants."

         "Huh?" Looking, down, it was now that Ash realized that he had only boxers on. "Heh heh. I'll be right back." He rushed out of the kitchen, so embarrassed that he didn't even see whom he almost ran down on the way.

         Misty was finally awake and coming down the stairs, struggling to put on her robe. "Hey Ash! Watch it!"

         "Sorry Misty," Ash said stopping for a moment to look at her. Her hair looked like she had given one try to fix it and given up and she was yawning. He could see that underneath the robe, she wore a matching blue tank top and shorts. _She looks too cute when she's just woken up!_ he thought and then quickly brushed the thought aside. "Melody's here." 

         Misty nodded, still yawning. "That's what Lily said. And by the way Ash," she looked up at him with a sly grin. "Did you know you're still wearing your boxers?"

         _He he. He looked so adorable in boxers. And they had Pikachu's all over them too!_ Misty thought as she walked into the kitchen where Melody and Brock were still conversing. _No! I will NOT think about Ash that way. We're through cause he obviously doesn't like me. I refuse to think of him. _

         "Misty!" Melody jumped up and hugged the girl as soon as she walked in.

         Hugging her friend back, she said, "Hi Melody. Nice to see you."

         They let go and Melody suddenly, a sly grin spread across her face. "Can I just ask you a favor before we start catching up on stuff?"

         Failing to notice the grin, Misty nodded. "Go ahead."

         "Well, can you please not beat me up?" 

         Misty stopped in the middle of a yawn to look at her. "What?"

         Melody sat back down and crossed her legs. "Well, I mean, I just saw your boyfriend in boxers and I know you're probably the only girl who has seen him in them so like, don't beat me up for being the second girl okay?"

         "He is NOT my boyfriend!" Misty shouted, going completely red in the face.

         Melody raised an eyebrow as Misty shot Brock a threatening look, for the rock-trainer was struggling not to dissolve in laughter. "Are you sure? I mean, I actually thought you two would've gotten married by now."

         Going even redder in the face, Misty yelled, "Didn't I say when we met that it would be gross to be his boyfriend much less MARRY him!?" 

         "Sheesh. Calm down!" The other girl held up her hands just as Ash walked in, very red in the face. Obviously, he had heard what Misty had last said.

         "So," Melody continued, taking a sip of orange juice. "I'm assuming you lovers aren't going to the ball then?"

         "We are NOT lovers. How many times do I have to tell you Melody!?" Misty exploded, completely unaware that her secret-lover was in-fact, standing right behind her.

         "Then you're not going together, right?"

         "Right," a male voice said.

         Misty jumped and spun around to come face-to-face with Ash who was still blushing and now both teens turned even redder at this. "Uh..."

         "How cute! You're close enough to kiss!" Melody exclaimed. Immediately, both Ash and Misty jumped apart a few feet. 

         _I am going to kill her,._ Misty thought, gritting her teeth. 

         "Anyhow, if you're not going together yet, aren't you gonna ask her Ash?"

         "Why should I?" Ash asked, taking a seat, trying to resume his normal composure.

         Misty sat away from Ash beside Melody, careful to avoid his eyes. "Sorry to disappoint you Melody but I'm going with Ritchie." And then she proceeded to tell the girl who he was from her confused expression. "We met him in the Indigo League and then Serena brought him here for dinner last night. They're cousins." Misty didn't feel the need to explain to Melody that Serena and Ritchie weren't blood cousins. 

         "Ooh wait a minute! I know him! I met him on my way here at some point but then lost track of him. But who's Serena?" Melody asked as Brock set some plates down in front of Ash and Misty.

         Before Misty could answer, Serena entered the kitchen, surprising everyone. She was floating an inch off the ground and her black hair stuck out everywhere. Her eyes were half closed and she was grumbling, her robe sash dragging behind her.

         "Umm, Melody, meet my best friend, Serena."

         Melody stared at the floating girl and made no sound. 

         "You might want to explain to her what Serena is," Brock told the redhead.

         Misty nodded. "Right. Serena's a psychic. And you can tell that she's not a morning person."

         "I see."

         The others watched as Serena floated herself into a seat across Misty and began to help herself to some napkins, which, thankfully to Misty, did not go into her mouth.

         "Is she always like this in the mornings?" Melody asked, still amazed because she could see the red glow from Serena's eyes getting dimmer.

         "Well, sometimes," Misty responded and then snatched a spoon away from Serena's hand as it was on its way to her mouth, empty. "Serena! Wake up!" 

         Instantly, the girl's eyes snapped open and strangely, she looked wide-awake. "Good morning everyone!" she said cheerfully and then noticed Melody who was still staring. "Oh hello. I'm Serena. Nice to meet you-"

         "Melody."

         "Melody. Right. Well, nice to meet you. Brock, can I have some eggs please? So Melody, are you here in Cerulean for the ball?" 

         Melody nodded as Serena took a plate from Brock. She was still a little startled at Serena's behavior but she liked the girl already. "I got an invitation a while back. I took the plane here."

         "So you goin' with anyone?" Serena asked while spooning in egg into her mouth.

         "No, not yet. I'm hoping to find someone though."

         At this, Serena's eyes lit up but she showed no sign of excitement. Throughout their conversation, she noticed that Ash and Misty were uncharacteristically quiet. Heh heh. This is just getting better and better. "Well, Ash isn't going with anyone either," Serena hinted.

         "Yeah, he told me. Of course, I was expecting him and Misty to go together but I guess I was wrong about them."

         _Oh I like her._ Serena thought. 

Thinking quickly, she said to Melody Ssh, don't get startled. Just act natural. It's me Serena talking telepathically. 

Serena glanced over to Melody who was taking this all very well and not showing any sign of anything. 

Okay, I'll explain my powers later but right now, I'm thinking that you want Ash and Misty to get together. So do I. So with a little more teamwork, I think we can do it. So far, Brock and I tease them, I've gotten my cousin to ask Misty to the ball and now, I think you and Ash should go together. Just play along.

         With another quick glance at Melody, Serena said out loud, "Yeah, I was kinda expecting them to go together too."

         "Excuse me!" Misty said loudly. They looked at her. "Can someone please pass me the butter?"

         Unfortunately, the butter was near Ash. Misty realized this and knew that she couldn't refuse it now otherwise it would look bad so she just turned her eyes to Ash and looked at him expectantly, willing herself not to turn red as she did so. Ash looked at the butter and blinked. 

         "You want the butter?" 

         "Yes. Now just give it to me. I'm hungry and I can't eat my toast without butter."

         "Oh? Well, wait cause I gotta use it first," Ash picked up a knife and very slowly began spreading the butter on his bread. Misty watched. And waited.

         But not for long. "Will you just hurry?"

         "Hey, we've had toast before without butter while traveling. Now wait, otherwise I'll take a longer time."

         Misty growled and Ash could see her turning red from anger. _Oh well,_ he thought as he continued spreading slowly. _She deserves it. After all I've done for her, she goes and agrees to go to the ball with my so-called friend. _

         "I'm wait-ing," the redhead said tapping her fingers impatiently on the tabletop. 

         "And I'm still spread-ing," Ash replied mocking her.

         By now, the others were silently eating, while watching the little charade. Brock had joined the younger teens and was now eating as well. No one noticed two tiny Pokemon quietly slip into the room and now they too, watched in fascination at their masters. Pikachu, seeing that Ash and the others were occupied, slowly made his way over to the refrigerator and with Togepi's psychic abilities, managed to get the door open and pull out a bottle of ketchup. They toddled back to the table and sat underneath it so that no one would notice them. And so, if needed, Pikachu could give Ash a good shock. Above his head, the pokemon could hear impatient tapping and then more yelling.

         "Look Ash! Just pass me the butter! I'll be done in a second and then you can go and spread for hours if you like! Just let me get some real quick!" Misty finally said, not being able to take anymore.

         Ash shook a finger at her. "Patience, patience." Then he began spreading butter on his second piece of toast.

         "Arrrgg! What's the point! I'm not hungry anymore!" Misty stormed out with Togepi running out from under the table at the sight of its mother so upset.

         As she exited, everyone else turned to Ash. 'What?' he said with his hands. "She should learn to be more patient."

         Brock shook his head. "You should go apologize. I know you were doing that on purpose."

         "Apologize for what? I did nothing except sit here and put butter on my toast. I will not apologize for anything," Ash retorted, unaware that Pikachu was now sitting beside him on the floor.

         "Ash, can't you see that-" Brock started and then closed his mouth. 

         "See what?" 

         Shaking his head, the older boy said, "Nothing."

         Shrugging, Ash took a bite of his breakfast. 

"So Ashy," Serena began, ignoring the glare that came her way. "I was thinking, since neither you or Melody have dates to the ball, why don't you go with each other?"

         Ash immediately began blushing and tried not to look at Melody as he spoke. "Melody? Umm...actually, I was thinking of not going at all."

         "Nonsense!" Melody exclaimed with a big grin. "It'll be perfect! I mean, why not? Misty's not your girlfriend and you're not her boyfriend so what's the matter? Ash, you are going and you are going with me, got it?"

         Meekly, he nodded, stood, unable to eat anymore and almost toppled over. "Pikachu!"

         Pikachu gave him a grin and tried to hide the ketchup bottle behind his little back. "Pika."

         "Pikachu, you know you're not supposed to eat so much ketchup!"

         "Pika pika pi pi pikachu chu pika pi chu!" _[I know you did that butter thing to get Misty mad on purpose because you like her.]_

         "I did not and I do not!"

         Pikachu grinned, noticing that the others were watching curiously. "Pika pi chu pi pika chu!!" _{Yes you did and yes you do!}_

         "No way!"

         "No way what, Ash?" Serena asked. 

         "Huh?" he looked up, cheeks red.

         "And why are you blushing?" Melody asked slyly. "What'd your sweet little Pikachu say to get you all flustered?"

         "Nothing!" Ash avoided everyone's gaze and quickly hurried out of the room only to find Misty sitting in the living room reading the comics with Togepi playing at her feet.

         "Oh hello Ash," she said coldly looking up at him. "Did you get all the butter you needed?"

         "Actually, I couldn't finish eating."

         "Oh and why not? After you took so long with the butter, I would've thought you'd be eating for an hour at least."

         Ash frowned and then an idea popped into his head. "Well, I just thought I'd better go make sure my suit for the ball is okay. I mean, since I'm going with Melody, I have to look good."

         This caught the girl's attention and Misty struggled not to show any emotion as she asked, "Oh you're going with Melody?"

         He nodded and smiled. "Yes. And I'm sure we'll have a great time."

         "Yes. I'm sure you will. Now will you leave me alone? I didn't get to have my breakfast because of you and I would like to read my comics in peace."

         "Fine. I was just leaving to go upstairs."

         As Ash proceeded upstairs, Misty fumed. How could he go with Melody!? And how could she have agreed? Of course, she was going with Ritchie but still. If only she had waited, maybe Ash would've asked her. _No. He doesn't like me. I mean, he asked Melody after all and not me._ Hot tears sprung to her eyes as she quickly wiped them away. _No I won't cry. I mean, it was my choice to go with Ritchie and it's his choice to go with Melody. But then, why do I feel so bad? I should've been nicer to him. That's probably why he hates me._

         _Oh boy. I hope that made her jealous_. Ash thought as he changed out of his pajamas. Normally, he wasn't the one who used someone to make someone else jealous but Misty agreeing to go with Ritchie had really made him mad and now, it was payback time. _Hopefully, she's jealous. But then, what's there to be jealous of? Everyone knows that she hates me and everyone thinks that I hate her and she probably thinks that too, but I don't hate her. Oh boy. What if Melody starts to like me now? I like her only as a friend and what if Misty and Ritchie really like each other? Oy…this is just getting more complicated. _

         Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Brock, Serena, and Melody were laughing too hard to finish eating. Serena had figured out what Pikachu was saying to Ash using her powers and it had cracked them up. "Did you see his face?"

         "And he was so flirting with her with the butter thing!" 

         "And I bet she'll be so jealous when she finds out that you're going with him!"

         They continued laughing and didn't stop until they were interrupted by a voice. 

         "Like, what's so funny?" Violet asked.

         She, Daisy, and Lily had come downstairs and were all wearing fashionable clothing as if they were about to go model instead of eat breakfast.

         "Sit down and while you're eating, we'll tell you. This is turning out so good!" Serena laughed.

         Melody nodded. "Yup. Ash and Misty will be together before midnight tonight, guaranteed!" 

         "I hope so because their act isn't fooling anyone but themselves. And by the way, you're Melody right?" Daisy asked, extending a welcoming hand.

         Later that day, Melody, Serena, and Brock were walking around the city as Serena gave them a proper tour. Both Misty and Ash had decided to stay home while Daisy, Violet, and LiIy were decorating and telling people they had hired where to put up balloons and etc. 

         They came to the beach and were walking along the boardwalk when suddenly, a blue Marril ran up to Brock. 

         "Marril!" It jumped happily at Brock's feet.

         Brock looked down, confused and then saw the pink bow tied to its tail. Quickly, he looked up and standing a few feet away, was a girl, slightly overdressed for the beach but still pretty all the same. 

         "Willhemina?" Brock breathed, not taking his eyes off the girl.

         "Brock? Brock!" She walked towards him smiling. "It _is_ you! Marril, you recognized him didn't you?"

         "Willhemina," Brock said almost breathlessly. "How are you?" the teen asked, blushing slightly but surprisingly not going into his gaga-for-girls state. When they had first met, she was taller than him but now, he towered over the sixteen-year old girl. 

         "Oh I'm just wonderful. How about you?"

         "The same. I'm still traveling around with Ash and Misty."

         At the mention of Misty, Marril began bouncing up and down, making both laugh. "I see Marril remembers her."

         Brock nodded. "Hey, I have an idea. Why don't we take a walk around while we talk?"

         Willhemina's eyes lit up. "That'd be great." She shyly took Brock's hand and they began walking, leaving Serena and Melody alone.

         "Well, that was -" Serena started.

         Melody finished, "weird."

         "Especially for Brock," Serena added.

*****Author's Note*****

No fluff still but we're getting closer. I like to build up and you can tell that everything's getting more and more complicated. Plus, I'm trying to have multiple romances in here too and there will be more characters we all know appearing. Anywho, I'm goin' now. Please review for me! Thankies to ya! And of course, I will continue to send E-mails to everyone who has asked whenever I update.

Sugar, spice, and everything nice,

_*Maura*_

**Review Responses: **

_Angelic-Shadowcat_: Heh heh…seems like Ash, Misty, and Melody didn't want your interference. But yes, I suppose love *does* hurt. Though personally, I wouldn't know. 

_Bobthebest aka warriorgoddess_: It's Ash! Of _course_ he's going to screw up. Melody is the girl from one of the Pokemon movies…Pokemon 2000 I think. She flirted with Ash (gave him a kiss on the cheek!) and made Misty mad but don't worry, she's actually pretty cool later on. In my opinion at least. She adds some spice to AAML.

_Togepi4eva_: Lol. Wow! You had lots of suggestions. I wish I could have gotten them before I wrote this because I certainly would have incorporated all of them into this fic. Unfortunately, as I've mentioned before, this entire thing is written out already and all those characters you've mentioned won't be appearing this time. Sorry. But there are others. And btw, who's Sakura? I used to watch PKMN on Fox Kids but since they took that away, no more for me. And I have no cable.

_White tiger_: I'm guessing you want to strangle Ash too, huh? Don't worry, you'll want to keep strangling him as this goes on.

_res1kna4_: Poor Ash. You want to hit him in the back of his head while White Tiger wants to strangle him. He'll be dead before I get to finish! ^_^

_JasonX_: Lol. The name Melody sickens you? I pray that all Melody's stay away from you then! ^_~  A poster w/_my_ pen name? That makes me happy! Hehe.

_JAMO_: Thanks for all your nice comments! It made my day! I'm glad that you like Serena. I hope I didn't make her too Mary-Sue-ish. Yes, the other PKMN guys needed some romance to so I sprinkled them in too. I believe everyone should get a fair shot. Plus, I like it when things work out nice and neat, hence the reason for fan fiction! ^_^ I'm a sucker for happiness.__

_Avaris_: Thanks! Glad you like it.

_Maria_: I hope this chapter was just as good as the last.

**Preview of Chapter 6:**

Misty noticed something else however. It was the fact that Melody was, in her eyes, clinging to Ash's arm and Ash didn't seem to mind. Trying not to show any resentment, she smiled back. "So you made it Ash. I love your dress Melody."

         "Yeah, I made it," Ash said while at the same time Melody replied, "Thanks!"

         "So," Ash continued, now eyeing a corsage that was pinned to the right side of Misty's dress. "Where'd you get that? You didn't have it when I left."

         Misty fingered the edge of the lovely corsage, which was a baby blue. "Ritchie gave it to me," she said smiling at him but he only seemed to be looking at Melody. Turning back to Ash she said, "Isn't it beautiful? Ritchie is just the sweetest!" 

         Ash could only frown in reply and pulled Melody away to the dance floor.


	6. Time to Dance

*****Author's Note*****

Finally, the moment you all have been waiting for…the night of the ball! *applauds* Yay! P.S. I love Snow Days! Except my poor car is outside all frozen. *Sniff* When I go back to school, I'm gonna be one cooooold driver!

Disclaimer: Same as usual.

A Few Helpful Pushes 

Chapter 6: Time to Dance

         Six o'clock rolled around and everything at the Waterflower house was a hustle and bustle. People kept meeting each other at the stairs, half dressed or with makeup or something else in their hands. The air was full of a mixture of smells: Hair spray, cologne, perfume, lotion, shampoo, and body spray. But even with all the rushing about, everyone and everything was ready by quarter to seven, surprisingly.

         By quarter to seven, Daisy, Lily, and Violet had already left for the gym to greet the guests as Brock and Maura stood around downstairs, waiting for Misty to come down. Ash, however, sat chin in hand. 

         "What's wrong Ashy?" Serena asked, coming over to stand by him. He lifted his eyes to look at her and shrugged.

         "Nothing. Just thinking."

         "Bout what?" Brock joined in.

         Ash sighed. "Nothing. Look, I think I'm just a little tired but don't worry," he flashed them a grin which of course, didn't fool either of them for a second. "I'll be fine and my hyper-self at the ball!"

         Playing along, Brock grinned back. "That's what we're afraid of!"

         This comment made Ash laugh but the person who had just descended the stairs cut him short. He shot up out of the chair and stared, open-mouthed.

         There, at the foot of the steps, stood Misty but this was most definitely not the Misty he had always seen. This Misty had actually let her flaming hair down and it was in perfect little waves around her face and shoulders. The solid sea-blue off-shoulder dress Misty wore hugged her torso and flowed out to the ground from her waist. Around her neck was a beautiful pearl necklace with pearl earrings to match in her ears. A golden, charm bracelet with sea creatures was on her left wrist.  Her face was made up with a small amount of glitter around her eyes and a thin layer of lipstick.

         "Sorry for being so late everyone," Misty called out, not yet noticing the staring Ash. "I couldn't find my-" now she had noticed and this made her redden but she kept her Misty-attitude. "What? Is there a rip in a my dress or something Ash?"

         At the mention of his name, the boy came out of trance, and finally realizing what he had been doing, quickly came up with an excuse. "No there's no rip in your dress. I was glad that we finally know the complete truth. You really are a girly-girl underneath all that toughness."

         "You take that back Ash Ketchem!" Misty's eyes flared and she balled up her ringed fists. 

         "No. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go pick up my date!" Ash strode past the angry Misty and out the front door. 

         "Ooh!" Misty shouted. "He has to always ruin everything!"

         The two bystanders gave quick glances at each other and whole-heartedly tried not to laugh. "There, there Misty," Serena soothed. "Don't worry about that dork. I'm sure you'll have a great time with Ritchie."

         "Hmpfh!" was the only reply. She didn't notice Brock and Serena exchange winks behind her back.

         After Ash's departure, Brock left to go pick up Willhemina from her hotel while Misty headed to the gym where she would be meeting Ritchie. Serena stayed behind, waiting for Gary to pick her up so that they could make the walk together. She didn't have to wait long until the doorbell rang. A quick flutter rippled through her heart all the way down to her stomach as she nervously shot one last glance at the hall mirror before opening the door. Standing in the frame was Gary complete in a tuxedo. Serena nearly fainted with pleasure as he gently took her gloved hand and placed a rose in it.

         "Thanks."

         "You look…umm…ahem…you look nice." A small blush crawled over the bridge of Gary's nose and spread to his cheeks.

         Serena was wearing a red dress with a fairly modest v-neckline and flared, full-length lacey sleeves. The fitting bodice was covered in tiny, sparkling beads that matched the clips holding back the front sections of her hair. A thin sash was tied into two tiny bows on either side at her slim waist from where the silky skirt of the dress fell straight to the ground. A simple gold bracelet encircled her wrist with a matching necklace and stud earrings. Like her best friend, she had dabbed on only a simple bit of makeup to brighten her face just the slighter.

         "Just nice?" Serena said a bit disappointed as she looked down at herself.  Maybe she should have taken Daisy's advice and gone for the black dress she had suggested.

         Gary nervously licked his lips and mentally cursed. Why did girls always have to be so difficult? Couldn't they just take the simple compliments dished towards them? He opened his mouth to attempt to string together more words about her appearance but Serena just stepped outside and slammed the door shut.

         "Well," she looked up with a smile. "Let's go! I think we're going to be fashionably late anyway."

         "Right."

         "Wow! Your sisters really went through a lot to get this place so...so beautiful. Of course," Ritchie looked at Misty and smiled. "It's not as beautiful as you."

         "Aww. Thanks!" Misty blushed, her bad mood bubble gone for the moment. 

         Behind the pair, Serena giggled as Gary attempted to hide his grin. Ritchie half-glanced back and glared. It was bad enough that he wasn't at the ball with the girl he wanted but now his cousin had to laugh at him! 

         The four had just entered the gym, which was indeed, as Ritchie stated, 'beautiful'. The pool had been boarded up for dancing. Low-lighted lamps hung from the ceiling every few feet. Helium balloons and streamers made the place colorful while pictures and cutouts of water pokemon gave a touch of the pride Cerulean City had for their water pokemon. 

         "Why don't we just mingle a little?" Gary suggested to Serena. She nodded and they headed off to the middle of a large group, leaving Misty and Ritchie. 

         "Well, umm..." Ritchie started, feeling more and more embarrassed by the whole set-up. 

         "Oh look! There's Brock!" Misty suddenly pointed. There, in the middle of the dance floor, was their friend dancing with Willhemina. Misty laughed. "Wow. I had no idea he could do that!"

         Ritchie turned to look and let out a laugh. "Ditto." Turning back to Misty, he asked, "So uh, do you uh- want to-" but just before he could finish his question, a couple walked up to them.

         "Ritchie! Misty! Wow, Misty, you look great. Nice suit Ritchie!" Melody grinned at them while holding Ash's arm.

         "Uh-Hi uh Mel-ahem-Melody," Ritchie replied, blushing, which thankfully, no one noticed.

         Misty noticed something else however. It was the fact that Melody was, in her eyes, clinging to Ash's arm and Ash didn't seem to mind. Trying not to show any resentment, she smiled back. "So you made it Ash. I love your dress Melody."

         "Yeah, I made it," Ash said while at the same time Melody replied, "Thanks!"

         Melody's dress was lovely. She had chosen a golden gown that sparkled in the light every time she moved. Her brown hair was curled up into an elegant bun held up by golden ribbons whose ends dangled down to her waist. 

         "So," Ash continued, now eyeing a corsage that was pinned to the right side of Misty's dress. "Where'd you get that? You didn't have it when I left."

         Misty fingered the edge of the lovely corsage, which was a baby blue. "Ritchie gave it to me," she said smiling at him but he only seemed to be looking at Melody. Turning back to Ash she said, "Isn't it beautiful? Ritchie is just the sweetest!" 

         Ash could only frown in reply and pulled Melody away to the dance floor.

         "Operation Get-Ash-And-Misty-Together Plan 609 must proceed as planned," Serena said in a serious, sergeant voice to Gary and Brock about half an hour later as they met at the refreshment stand. Ash was talking to people with Melody while Misty and Ritchie danced.

         Willhemina glanced at Serena. "Oh. Brock told me about your plan. Some of it anyway. How is it going?"

         Sighing, Serena replied, "It's okay. Those two stubborn-heads are just so-so-"

         "Stubborn?" Gary offered. 

         "Exactly! It makes me so mad!"

         Everyone laughed and then Gary asked, "So, what's the next step, Sarge?"

         "Next step? Sarge?" a clear voice rang out over the psychic girl's head. She whirled around and squealed in delight.

         "Sabrina!" Standing behind Serena was her older sister looking very much like a taller, grown-up version of Serena, complete with red-colored dress. Except the elder's looked far more like an evening gown. The two siblings exchanged a warm embrace. When they stepped back, Serena noticed a rather lanky man hovering behind her sister. Noticing her gaze, Sabrina motioned the sandy-haired man forward.

         "Rosco, I'd like you to meet my younger sister that I told you about. Serena, this is my new boyfriend, Rosco."

Rosco and Serena shook hands.

         Sabrina smiled. "So little sister, who did you bring with you to the dance?"

         Now Gary stepped forward and extended a hand. "My name is Gary Oak and I'm Serena's date."

         The older girl regarded the boy with a scrutinizing sweep of her eyes. She took his hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you Gary. I presume you are the grandson of the renowned Professor Oak?"

         Gary nodded.

         "I see," Sabrina continued in a friendly voice. "Well, you should find yourself very lucky to have come with my sister. And if I find out that you've harmed her in any way, just keep in mind that I am the strongest psychic around."

         At these words spoken so naturally, Gary gulped nervously as he eyed his date's older sister. From his side Serena cried out, "Sabrina! Don't scare him off!" Then to him she said, "Don't worry Gary, she won't do anything to you."

         Here, Brock interjected. "Yeah, like turn you into a doll."

         "A doll?" Gary echoed.

         "Ah! I remember you! You're one of the kids who helped me out of my obsessed state a few years ago!" Sabrina exclaimed as her dark eyes fell on the rock trainer. Brock nodded with a smile, glad that she had remembered, even though the experience had been rather nerve-wracking. "Nice to see you again."

         "Likewise," Brock replied.

         "Now then," Sabrina said. "What is this about you being a 'sarge', Serena?"

         Serena's eyes widened in mock innocence. "I have no idea what you are talking about Sabrina."

         "You do know that I can read your mind, if I so choose."

         "But you won't because I've learned how to put up a mental block. So there!" Childishly, Serena stuck out her tongue making the group laugh.

         Sabrina turned, pulling Rosco along with her by the arm. Over her shoulder she called out, "I hope your plan with Ash and Misty works out! They did seem to look cute together when I met them."

         Serena's jaw fell open. She was sure she had put up a strong mind block and would have felt Sabrina probing in her thoughts.

_         There are other minds to read than yours little sister._

         Looking up, Serena received a smug glance from her sibling before she and her date disappeared in the crowd.

         After greeting his mother who had come to the ball with Professor Oak, Ash only half-listened as his friend Todd told him about some wild pokemon he had chased just to capture a picture of it. Instead, he let Melody do the talking with Todd and his date Duplica, another friend, while his chocolate eyes stayed focused on a dancing pair. 

         Misty twirled around the dance floor, light as a feather and to Ash, no one was a better or prettier girl than she. A kind of glow seemed to be around her and Ash's heart ached to see her dancing with Ritchie and have so much fun when he knew that he could never make her so happy like that. 

         Suddenly, something peach colored flashed before his face, awakening him from his trance. "Wha-?"

         "Hello Ashy. Are you still with us?" Melody looked at him in concern. 

         "Huh? Oh yea. Your chase sounds terrific Todd!" he said trying to sound enthusiastic. 

         Everyone gave him a weird stare. "Ash? We stopped talking about that a few minutes ago. Who were you looking at?" Duplica asked and peered around his shoulder in the direction of Misty and Ritchie. 

         Seeing the couple, she quickly glanced Melody, thinking that her new friend might be jealous but instead, Melody seemed to be having trouble hiding her laughter. Duplica looked at her questioningly and finally suppressing the final laugh, Melody announced to the boys, "Duplica and I are going to take a trip to the girls' room. Okay? See you."

         Todd watched them go, a confused expression on his face. "I think we missed something here Ash. Girls only go to the bathroom in two's when they want to talk about something," he said, turning to his raven-haired friend, but the other boy already had his eyes, once again, glued to Misty.

         _This is really fun and all dancing with Ritchie and he's being super nice but I wish I were over there with Ash instead,_ Misty thought as Ritchie gave her a twirl. Trying hard not to look in her crush's direction, she instead, looked around the gym to try and recognize faces. Suddenly, a small cluster near the refreshment table caught her eye.

         "Now what are they up to?" Misty wondered aloud.

         "Who?" 

         Ritchie looked down at her for an answer. 

"Look over there. Serena, Gary, Brock, Willhemina and now Melody and Duplica are all gathered around as if they planned it or something!"

         The boy did cast a glance over in the direction Misty pointed and noticed that his cousin was looking at him. She shook her head and he sighed. It wasn't time yet. Then he realized that Misty was still looking at him, waiting for a response. 

         "Heh. They're probably just talking about how the night is going."

         "Then let's join them!" Misty grabbed Ritchie's hand and pulled him over to the group while panic seized him. It was too early! 

         In his head, he heard, _What are you doing! We haven't fine-tuned the details yet!_ Serena glared at him as the two approached their friends. Ritchie shot his cousin a sheepish grin.

         "Hi everyone. Having fun?" Misty asked, her face now slightly flushed. 

         "Hey Misty," Melody said, raising an eyebrow at Ritchie who nearly fainted simply because she was looking at him.

         "So, I was thinking of asking Duplica to travel with me. What do you think, Ash? Ash?" Todd looked around for the teen that he had only been talking to seconds ago. "Now where'd he go?"

         Todd's eyes fell upon Ash's back and following him with his eyes, he saw that Ash had joined a circle of people which seemed to be getting larger. Shrugging, he decided to follow, especially since his date was over there as well.

         "What're you all doing standing around?" Ash asked making everyone jump.

         Gary was the first to answer him. "Just taking a break from dancing to chat a bit."

         Ash looked at him skeptically and then at the rest. "Uh-huh. Well, I guess then I'll just join you in the chat. What're we chatting about?"

         "Uh-um-" Gary stumbled. 

         "We're talking about uh-" Brock flustered. 

         Before anyone could give a proper answer, Todd sidled up behind Duplica. "Hey. What are you all talking about?"

         "I just asked the same thing," Ash said looking at Todd who now had his arm wrapped around Duplica. _I wish that could be me and Mist._

         "Kiwi!" Serena suddenly blurted out.

         "Uh-Kiwi?" Misty asked.

         "Yes, Kiwi."

         "Yup. Definitely. It's the coolest fruit around," Duplica offered.

         "And it's mighty tasty!" Brock smacked his lips as Gary and Willhemina nodded, rubbing their stomachs. 

         Giving everyone weird looks, both Ash and Misty said at the same time, "Riiight." Once said, they looked at each other and then quickly looked away. 

         Everyone seeing this was silent for a moment. This silence was also due to the fact that Serena was giving everyone instructions. Everyone that is, except the two they were trying to get together. 

         _Okay. We've got to be quick now. Melody, grab Ash's arm and dance. Ritchie, take Misty out on a walk to the fountain. Todd and Duplica, get ready with the camera. Brock and Willhemina, you're in charge of the video recorder. Gary and I will do the rest. Now GO!_

Then, all at once, everyone moved. Melody did as instructed and dragged a protesting Ash onto the dance floor saying, "Let's have some fun Ashy!" while Ritchie grabbed Misty's hand and gently pulled her away from the dispersing group. Everyone else went off in different directions to get ready.

         "Where are we going?" Misty asked confused. One minute, her friends are acting all weird talking about kiwi and the next, everyone was separating.

         "I was thinking that we should go outside for a walk. It's so lovely outside and I thought you might enjoy it," Ritchie told her, thinking at the same time that he should be an actor for the show he was putting on.

         Misty allowed herself to be pulled away by Ritchie, still hoping that he had not really fallen for her and watched in growing jealousy as Ash spun Melody around.

         "How did we get caught up in all this?" Todd asked Duplica as they snuck outside and moved to hide behind a bush near the fountain. 

         Duplica shrugged and grinned at him. "I'm not sure but this is fun! Not make sure your camera is ready."

         He nodded and grinned back after a sigh. "I suppose you're right. The first time I met Ash and Misty, I could tell that they would make a good couple!"

         "Same here."

         "Just like you and me," Todd added, blushing at his bold comment. 

         "Really?" 

         Nodding again, Todd almost fainted in surprise as Duplica gave him a quick kiss and then suddenly turned back to face the fountain.         

         "Now be ready."

         Shaking his head, Todd knew he would never understand girls and simply sat, his camera poised.

         "This had better work!" Brock whispered to Willhemina as the two sat on a bench behind another bush near the fountain. They were across from Duplica and Todd and had a clear view of the fountain area.

         In Brock's hand was a camcorder, turned on and ready to shoot. 

"Are you sure you should tape whatever you're all expecting to happen?" Willhemina asked. "I mean, I'm sure that Ash and Misty would want their privacy, don't you think?"

         Brock shrugged and shook his head. "I don't care at this point. I've been traveling with those two for years and if this works, I want to preserve the moment! I've waited too long for this!"

         "All right," the girl answered skeptically. "But if you are going to capture this all on film, you might want a little advice first."

         Raising an eyebrow, Brock scoffed. "No offense Willhemina, but I know all there is to videotaping. Who do you think caught all my siblings' first moments on tape?"

         "Well, Mr. Recording Master," Willhemina flipped her curled hair over her shoulder. "I highly doubt that you will be able to capture any moment on tape with the lenses cap still on."

         Brock looked down at the device on his hand and then looked up at the girl, smiling sheepishly. Willhemina grinned and gently tapped Brock's nose making him blush.

         "What exactly are we going to do?" Gary whispered to Serena as they spied on Misty and Ritchie making their way to the fountain. 

         _Well_ Serena told him in his mind so as not to increase the risk of their voices carrying. _Once Misty gets there and Ash too, I'm going to make the entire environment and mood more..._ she looked at Gary and grinned. _Romantic._

         "Exactly how do you plan to do that?" 

         "You'll see."

         Gary grinned and put his arms around her waist. "Well, this will be great to see if Ashy-boy can even take a hint then!"

         "You all have really put on a great party Misty!" Ritchie complimented, as they got closer to the fountain.

         Misty simply nodded, her mind still on Ash. Ritchie noticed that she was not really paying attention and took the chance to glance around to where his friends were supposed to be situated. He had to hand it to them. He couldn't spot anyone.

         They continued making their way to the fountain in silence and as soon as they had reached it, Ritchie heard his cousin's expected voice in his head, _Now!_

         "Misty?" 

         "Hmm?"

         "I'll be right back. I think I left my wallet on the punch table. Would you mind waiting here for me?"

         Misty shook her head and watched his retreating back make its way back inside.

         Once he was gone, she sighed and sat down on a bench beside the fountain, placing her chin in her hands. "What a party," she muttered to herself, completely unaware to the fact that close by, Brock taped what she said.

         "I thought maybe Ash might notice me but no, he's got to be blown away by another girl who is definitely much prettier than me." She sighed again. Plucking a rose from a nearby bush, she inhaled the lovely smell and envisioned that Ash had given it to her.

         As soon as Ritchie had entered the building, Melody quickly took notice.

         "Ash, I'm a bit tired of dancing and it's getting hot in here."

         Ash looked at her and nodded. "Okay. Let's go outside then to cool off," he suggested.

         "Alright. I have to go fix up my makeup real quick though. Would you mind going outside and waiting for me by the fountain?"

         Once Ash was gone, Ritchie walked up to Melody and the two stood in silence for a moment. 

         "Now what?"

         "Now, we wait and hope all our hard work has paid off," Melody said smiling up at the taller boy. "And," she continued, "we might as well sneak outside as well and see what happens."

         "Let's go!"

         Melody grabbed Ritchie's hand, making him blush and the two walked outside, careful not to let Ash see or hear them.

         Ash made his way to the fountain slowly and depressed, thinking that Misty favored Ritchie more than him. _I can't believe she chose him over me! They don't even know each other that well, _he grumbled in his mind and kicked a rock.

         As he approached the fountain, he could make out a slim figure sitting but the lack of light made it hard to see who it was. He figured that Melody must have been done in the bathroom and found a faster path than he.

         Misty looked up at the sound of footsteps and could make out the silhouette of a male figure. Thinking it Ritchie, she sighed again and plastered a smile on her face so he wouldn't suspect that she was bummed.

         Standing up, she walked to the fountain and put a hand near the edge, waiting for him to come closer into the light. It was so hard to see him.

         Ash watched as Melody stood and stepped up to the fountain. Her face was still silhouetted and he walked up, wondering what to say to her when he heard a gasp escape her lips. Then, as she turned her head to face him properly, he too gasped.

         "Misty!"

         "Ash!" 

         They stood in the single ray of moonlight that shone brightly on them and stared at each other in surprise.

 "What're you doing here?" they exclaimed simultaneously.

         "I'm waiting for Ritchie!" Misty told him, crossing her arms haughtily.

         "Well, I'm meeting Melody here!" Ash informed her, crossing his arms as well. 

         "Fine!" 

         "Fine!"

         They stood with their backs to one another in complete silence, waiting for their dates, who in truth, were not planning to show up at all. The spectators who were concealed by the bushes resisted the urge to lunge at the two and give them each a good choking.

*****Author's Note*****

Ack! Don't kill me yet! We're almost there. Can you feel all the emotion, tension, and suspense building up??? Well, if not, you'd probably be able to feel it better if I had re-written this now instead of posting what I wrote a year ago. Oh well. Review as usual! And I believe we have two more chapters to go! 

Peace, love, and chocolate chip cookies,

_*Maura*_

**Review Responses:**

_Togepi4eva_: Oooh I see. Well, I've only ever played Pokemon Blue so yeah. But thanks for filling me in. ^_~ Hopefully this should continue to be interesting!

_Spiraea Kozak_: Of course I have to push them further and further away! This way, they will get closer in the end! It's all part of the grand master plan. If it works. And obviously if you've read this chapter, then you know it's not the end. You're right…Misty is pretty dense too at times. And they're both stubborn! Hehe…nice pun. I definitely laughed out loud at that one. ^_^

_Rainastar_: Thanks for your nice comments! Well, if Ash had asked Misty to the ball, this story would have ended a while ago. And as you can see, I'm dragging this sucker out as long as possible. ^_~

_Angelic-Shadowcat_: Heh heh…I guess they just don't want you commenting on anything at all! But *I* do! I'll try and make sure you don't get beat up so much next time but remember, I only control Serena since she's the only one I own!

_JasonX aka Shippou123_: Lol! I like your second name. Shippou's the best! He's so adorable! I'm glad you like the review responses. I definitely think that everyone who takes time to read and review for a chaptered fic deserves replies.…You must *really* hate Melody, huh? Hehe.

_Hello_: Willhemina is a girl from this one episode in Pokemon…I forget which season but she's this rich girl who has a crybaby Marril that gets lost with Misty in the rain. She's also the first girl who actually seems to *like* Brock. I don't remember much because it was a looooong time ago that I watched this but that's the basics! I liked her so I put her in this! I hope that helps!

_JAMO_: Like I was telling JasonX, you all deserve to get responses. I love it when I get a reply to a review of a fic that I've read! I looked at some of the Love Hina dress pictures as you suggested and they are pretty awesome! But I didn't want to elaborate too much this time on their appearances. How'd I do with what I had? And thanks for the advice! Do you write yourself? Because you seem to have lots of good feedback to give out in the writing department. I'm gonna try to remember what you said for next fic. ^_~

_Maria_: Wow! That makes me really happy that you like this *that* much! You're definitely too kind with your compliments. ^_^

_KawaiiTotadile_: Favorite stories? Wow thanks! ^_^ You're up there with Maria…being too kind!

**Preview of Chapter 7:**

"You know Mist," Ash suddenly began softly, not knowing what had come over him. "You look really pretty in that dress, even though I can't really look down right now."

         Misty's eyes went wide. Ash Ketchum, complimenting her instead of insulting?

         Seeing her disbelief, Ash had to grin. "I'm totally serious. It brings out the brightness of your eyes."

         "Really?" Misty asked in a soft voice staring into his eyes. 

         He nodded his head, making his bangs fall into his eyes. Misty raised her left hand, which she had managed to get free, and gently pushed them away. At her touch, Ash suddenly felt a spark and he began to blush but didn't tear his gaze away.


	7. The Grand Finale

*****Author's Note*****

First of all, my apologies. I am SO SORRY that I took like, over a month to update! Yes, I said that I had this all typed out so why the delay? Cause I LOST the file! Stupid disk. Stupid computer! SO, I had to rewrite it all while balancing about fifty other things of which I won't list so as not to annoy you all. To make it up, I made sure this was a fairly long chapter.

I just want to thank everyone for sticking with me this far and for putting up with my delay! I'm extremely sorry again!

Also, I would like to mention a terrible blunder I have made. Thanks to _Togepi4eva_ for pointing this out to me. Being the dolt that I am, when writing the previous chapter oh so long ago, I completely forgot to bring back Ralph and Emily to the ball! I can't believe I was so stupid not to have caught my mistake later on! Sadly, I don't want to rewrite it and therefore, we shall simply pretend that they're around. I did not bring them back in this chapter but they will appear in the last.

That said, enjoy chapter 7! R/R!

Disclaimer: La la la….who cares? I own a bunch of pokemon cards from eons ago but that's about it. And a few other PKMN items. Other than that and Serena, I don't own anything. Oh yes, I do not own the song lyrics mentioned later on. They belong to _Savage Garden_. I love their songs!

A Few Helpful Pushes 

Chapter 7: The Grand Finale

Misty couldn't believe that Ash was meeting Melody out here by the fountain! It was the perfect spot for some romance with all the roses in full bloom and he was going to be with Melody and not her! _But_, Misty thought, _I'm supposed to be here with Ritchie...and right now, I'm not. I'm with Ash. _This thought struck her suddenly and a slight ray of hope entered her heart. _Maybe, maybe he might see how I feel._

         _What to do now? It's dark, I'm by the fountain with tons of roses, and Misty is right behind me. I could tell her how I feel right now and get it over with. Have her laugh in my face and say that she's in love with Ritchie. I guess the humiliation won't be too bad. I'd have to run off though and take on a new identity of course but hey, at least I won't be burdened anymore with my secret._

         As the two stood in silence thinking what to do next, Serena was in began to concentrate deeply. She hid behind Gary so that her glowing eyes wouldn't be seen and suddenly, to Misty and Ash's surprise, the fountain began to bubble merrily and the water spurted out more freely. Small lights were turned on around the bushes and fountain. The roses plucked themselves off the bushes and floated in the air, circling them. A long, green vine danced around Misty and Ash, pulling them closer and closer. They were trapped within and the vine tied itself in a knot, with those two stuck, back-to-back. 

         "Serena!" Misty shouted. The roses continued to hop in the air and one landed in Ash's hand, which was bound to his side. 

         "You mean she's doing all this?" Ash asked. 

         "No duh! Why else do you think the roses are flying?"

         "Whatever. Anyway, how do we get out of this thing?"

         They struggled but it was to no avail. The vine held them tight, keeping them together. Sighing, both tried to turn around at least and were met with the other's face. Nose to nose, Misty could feel the heat in her body rise to her face and she could see that Ash had begun to turn many shades of red as well. 

         "Umm..." was all Misty could say.

         They stood there, staring at one another. Sea green eyes looked into chocolate ones. 

         "You know Mist," Ash suddenly began softly, not knowing what had come over him. "You look really pretty in that dress, even though I can't really look down right now."

         Misty's eyes went wide. Ash Ketchem, complimenting her instead of insulting?

         Seeing her disbelief, Ash had to grin. "I'm totally serious. It brings out the brightness of your eyes."

         "Really?" Misty asked in a soft voice staring into his eyes. 

         He nodded his head, making his bangs fall into his eyes. Misty raised her left hand, which she had managed to get free, and gently pushed them away. At her touch, Ash suddenly felt a spark and he began to blush but didn't tear his gaze away.

         Still staring into one another's eyes, they slowly began to move their faces closer, closer than they already were that is. Misty was the first to close her eye. Her heart was racing and inside, she hoped that Ash would be man enough to take a hint. 

         Ash himself began to sweat nervously, not knowing if he were doing the right thing but something in his mind told him to go ahead. He pressed his lips against Misty's soft ones and closed his eyes.

         The electricity between the two at that moment was enough to light up an entire amusement park and they kept generating more. Slowly, the vine unwound itself from Misty and Ash and fell to the ground but neither noticed as Misty wrapped her arms around Ash's neck and he around her waist, pulling her closer. 

         The roses continued to float about and the lights blinked slowly, while the water in the fountain still gurgled to keep the entire atmosphere romantic. 

         Misty couldn't believe that she was actually kissing Ash. Her dream, her one wish for three years finally came true. She wanted this moment to last forever just in case she found that when she woke up, it was all a dream.

         Ash on the other hand, was ecstatic as well yet fearful at the same time that Misty would give him a good beating but he kept deepening the kiss and enjoying it fully.

         Suddenly, a bright flash from behind them, caused both to jump apart. They looked at one another and promptly began to blush. "Umm..." Ash began. "I'm really sorry Mist. I didn't umm...you know..." he trailed off talking to his black dress shoes.

         He didn't see the look on Misty's face. One minute, a dreamy, lost smile had been plastered across her face, and the next, it was replaced with a saddened frown and glistening eyes.

         He hadn't wanted to kiss her…otherwise, why else would he apologize? He didn't like her. It was simple as that. She couldn't help the tears that stared to make their trail down each pink cheek of hers. Misty licked her lips, tasting salt. "It's…it's okay," she whispered hoarsely.

         At the sound of her scratchy voice, Ash looked up in surprise and his eyes widened at the emotion so visibly painted upon her features. Had he hurt her so terribly with just that one kiss? Oh man, he hadn't wanted to ever hurt her this bad! He had to do something…but what? The only logical thing he could come up with at that moment was to explain himself. Lifting a hand, he gently nudged Misty's chin up until her eyes met his.

         Each aquamarine eye was sparkling with a pool of tears.

         Darnit! He had to go and mess everything up!

         "I'm so sorry Mist!" he blurted out in a rush. "I didn't mean to hurt you!"

         More tears made their descent to the ground.

         "Aw don't cry! Please? I'm really really sorry for kissing you! Don't be mad! I know you probably hate me now but I couldn't help it! I've liked you for ages and you just looked so pretty standing there in the moonlight and your eyes were all bright and your voice was all soft and I'm sorry but don't hate me!" Ash finished his extremely long run-on sentenced in a panicked voice, the worried tone increasing volume with each word.

         By now, he had released his gentle hold on her chin and at the end of his words, his shoes were once again the receiver to his mini-speech.

         Misty's eyes bore into the top of Ash's head where his ebony hair was becoming disheveled on its own accord. Did he just say what she thought he did? A smile slowly forced its way out and revealed itself upon her lips.

         "Ash?" she said softly, her voice coming out in wisps.

         Surprised at the tenderness put into his name, Ash tentatively looked up, not knowing whether Misty was being gentle to fool him or she was sincere. At her next words, he was shocked beyond belief.

         "Did you really mean all that?"

         He stared.

         Her sea-blue eyes were devoid of tears and only the stains on her cheeks were evidence that she had cried at all. Ash gulped. Shoot. What had he said anyway? He couldn't remember! All he knew was that in the heat of the moment, he had simply babbled and rambled incoherently and could not recall a thing he had told her. Had it been good or bad? What had he said that caused such a smile to brighten her features?

         Unsure of himself, Ash nervously played with his tie. "Umm….yes?"

         "You…you don't know?" Her voice had dropped a notch and held a twinge of disappointment.

         "Umm…no?" At her crestfallen face, he quickly reverted answers. "No! I mean yes!"

         _Shoot me now,_ Ash thought, mentally groaning as he noticed the glistening in her eyes once more.

         "Oh no! Don't cry please! Look, I honestly can't remember what I said! You know me! When I get nervous, I start to just say random stuff! And I don't know what! I like you a lot so don't get mad please and cry! That's why I'm trying to make you happy and not sad!"

         The response Ash got this time utterly stunned him.

         Misty was laughing.

         Her face was turned to the night sky and gaily laughter escaped her lips.

         Ash's mouth dropped open. Here he was spilling out…well, he didn't know what he was spilling out to her because he didn't know what he said, but he was spilling some part of him to her and all she could do was laugh. What happened to the tension and drama? Perhaps the night had been too much for her and she had simply lost it. Ready to ask her if she needed to be taken in, Ash was surprised yet again.

         Not by words. Not by others. But by an action.

         "Misty, are you-oomph!"

         Before he knew what was happening, a familiar pair of lips had collided with his and he felt his arms unconsciously go around the figure before him. Misty. A tingling sensation of warmth flooded the both as they stepped apart, this time a large grin splashed across their faces.

         "You dolt," Misty said.

         "Huh?" was Ash's brilliant response even though he was still smiling uncontrollably.

         She blinked up at him through her lashes. "You don't even realize what you said, do you?"

         "I just said 'huh'."

         _Why did I have to fall for such a dummy?_ Misty thought hopelessly, yet a giddy feeling of elation flooded her being.

         "You are so slow Ash." She placed a finger on his lips when she saw he was about to retaliate. "I like you too. A lot."

         "Really?"

         "Why else would I kiss you?"

         Ash responded with another kiss, which Misty eagerly accepted.

         _Ahh! She likes me, she really likes me!_ Ash chanted in his mind like a mantra.

         _Finally!_ Misty thought as they pulled back for air. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw rose petals softly floating in circles around them and bubbles from the fountain gently escaping into the night air. The vine that had only moments ago bonded them together now lay in a loose pile at their feet. 

         "You do know that we're being watched, right?" Misty whispered, leaning closer to Ash.

         "We are?"

         Misty nodded and pointed to the petals. "That's not an illusion."

         "I guess we do have our friends to thank then," Ash whispered back. "But let's not let them know that we know." He winked at her.

         With a giggle, Misty grabbed the hand that he was shyly offering and the two started down the path away from the fountain, talking in hushed voices.

         Only moments after their departure, the surrounding bushes wiggled and jiggled as the other teenagers popped out from their hiding spots. Ash and Misty were now long gone. Brock emerged holding the video recorder, a large grin splashed across his face and lipstick smeared slightly over his lips. Behind him, Willhemina blushed lightly. Todd and Duplica stepped out with the camera equipment; Duplica sighing happily. Melody and Ritchie casually walked up from wherever they had been hiding. From the looks on their faces, Ash and Misty weren't the only ones who had gotten together that night. Ritchie's entire face was bright red and Melody continued batting her eyelashes at him. Lastly, Gary and Serena came forth. Serena was leaning on Gary for support who had his arm around her protectively.

         The group of friends stood around the fountain in a circle of silence and it was Melody, who at last, broke it. "That was, like, much easier than I expected."

         Duplica nodded. "Instead of going through all these complications, you should have just thrown 'em into a locked closet together."

         Serena shook her head wearily. "Nah. It wouldn't have been the right atmosphere."

         They all looked at her.

         "What's wrong? You look awfully tired," Brock commented.

         "I'm fine. Just a little worn out. I had to use a lot of energy to make each petal float in a certain direction and for each bubble to remain a bubble," the psychic explained as Gary tightened his grip around her. She smiled warmly up at him. "Anyways, we're not done yet!"

         "Excuse me?" Ritchie exclaimed. "What more is there to do? They admitted that they like each other and kissed three times! Three!"

         "Two more than you and Melody have, huh?" Gary replied with a sly grin.

         Two speechless mouths fell open as the others laughed. "How did you know?" Melody finally managed.

         Gary gently poked Serena's cheek. She grinned and said, "Back to the task at hand. Todd, when can you get those developed for me?"

         "By tomorrow," he replied.

         "Great. Make me a bunch of copies and put them in an album. I'll pay you later."

         "You don't-"

         "YES. I DO!"

         "Demanding as usual," Ritchie sighed, sending Todd a sympathetic glance.

         "So, what more is there besides that?" Melody asked.

         "Not too much. Basically I just wanted to invite you all over to a party at my house tomorrow. For lunch and a movie," Serena said nonchalantly and everyone failed to notice the gleam in her eyes or the smirk playing on Gary's lips.

         At the word party, everyone remembered that they were still at one and decided to head back inside for a little bit more dancing, all agreeing to meet at Serena's house the next day at noon.

         "So you're saying this was all a set-up?" Ash asked.

         Misty nodded. "Has to be. Ritchie asking me, Melody asking you. And then the two of us suddenly alone at the same time at the fountain because we're supposed to meet our dates there? Serena planned it all."

         Slowly Ash nodded in understanding. "That makes sense! Man, I can't believe they went through all that!"

         "Yeah. But," Misty turned her gaze upwards to face Ash. "I'm glad that they did. Otherwise, we probably would have continued the way we were. Always fighting with one another and denying our feelings."

         "Good point."

         They walked around the corner of the gym in silence, hand in hand until Ash spoke up. "Umm…Misty?"

         "Hmm?"

         "Does this mean you're my girlfriend now?"

         "If you want me to be."

         "I do."

         Misty said nothing.

         "Misty?"

         "You haven't asked me officially yet," she replied. After all, it was only appropriate. He had to formally ask her to be his girlfriend otherwise it wouldn't count. At least, in Misty's mind. She was a romantic.

         Ash licked his lips nervously. Why he was nervous he had no idea. She had said that she liked him and they had kissed three times for goodness sake! But the elation that spread warmly through him every time he thought about Misty being his girlfriend gave him pleasurable shivers, yet left him nervous. Would things change between them now on their travels?

         He shook his head stupidly. Of course they would! Their feelings for each other were now out in the open, and this was literally since he knew they had been spied on. But what if something went wrong in their relationship? He deeply cared for Misty and didn't want to lose her as a girlfriend, or especially, as a true friend.

         "Will we still be friends Mist?" he finally asked.

         Misty stopped walked, causing him to jerk back since their hands were intertwined. "Friends?"'

         Ash nodded. "Yeah. I mean, we are pretty young. I know I like you a lot and you like me a lot. But if we are girlfriend and boyfriend, will we still remain friends at the same time?"

         At this, Misty had to think for a moment as she stared at Ash. He looked like a lost little puppy, his dark eyes boring sincerely into her as he waited for a response. It was true. They weren't even sixteen yet. Ash was her best friend and she knew that the status of their relationship was forever changed. They would be a couple now.

         "Of course Ash," she finally said. "We can be a couple but we will always remain the best of friends."

         A large grin broke out on Ash's face. "Great. Because I never want to lose a wonderful person like you!"

         Tears welled in Misty's eyes as she swiped them away.

         Concern flooded Ash's features. "What's wrong? What did I say wrong this time?"

         Throwing herself into his arms, Misty laughed. "Dummy! I'm crying because I'm happy! Girls do that."

         "Oh. Guess I have a lot more to learn about girls."

         Misty looked up at him. "Yes. Yes you do. And I will be the one to teach you."

         "I'd want no other teacher."

         "Is that your invitation for me to be your girlfriend?"

         Ash nodded.

         "In that case, I accept."

         And they sealed their deal with another kiss.

         When the troop returned inside, they were immediately swamped by Mistys' elder sisters, who shot off questions faster than a rocket could fly.

         "Like, did it work?" Lily exclaimed.

         Melody answered with a nod. "Yup."

         Violet questioned Gary. "Did they kiss?"

         "Three times."

         "Three? They're too young to be kissing three times in one night! I'm going to have to talk with them!" Daisy said, falling into the role of a mother, being the eldest.

         "Did they say they love each other?"

         "They like each other," Duplica said.

         "A lot," Serena supplied helpfully.

         Daisy nodded fiercely. "Good. They're too young to say 'I love you'. Maybe in a few years."

         Lily swooned. "Ooh, did Ash run his hands through her hair?"

         Melody and Serena exchanged glances. "Erm…"

         "Brock, did you get it all on tape?" Violet demanded.

         He held up his right hand holding the recorder.

         "Let me see!"

         Violet and Lily both lunged at Brock who easily sidestepped them. "Not yet!"

         "Give it to me!" they cried but were stopped by Daisy who reiterated Brock's words, "Not yet."

         "Where are the pictures Todd?" she asked.

         "In my camera," he replied. "I still have to finish the film."

         "Well, what are you waiting for?" Lily shrieked, advancing on the younger boy and throwing up her arms. "Finish it already!"

         Todd slowly backed away, fearing for not his life, but the life of his precious camera.

         Chaotic chatter continued for a few more moments until couple by couple, the group slowly melted away onto the dance floor, each person tiring of the incessant questions. Only Daisy, Serena, and Gary were left.

         Serena sighed. "Well, I think we did it."

         Daisy ran a delicate hand over her jeweled necklace. "Yes. Like, I think you did Rena. You got my baby tomboy sister together with Ashy."

         "Speaking of them," Gary said and pointed to the doors. Hand in hand, the said couple stepped inside and it was evident from their brilliant smiles and pink tinged cheeks that something special had occurred between them just then. The trio watched as Mrs. Ketchem immediately swooped down upon her son and his new girlfriend to shower them both with hugs and kisses. Her excited squealing voice soared across the gym causing Ash and Misty to blush even redder.

         "My baby! My baby's all grown up and got himself a girlfriend! And it's his best friend! Oh I'm so happy that he's chosen you Misty! I always knew you two would get together and it's happened sooner than I expected! My my, I must start planning the wedding for a few years. These things take time to plan you know."

         "M-o-o-o-m!"

         Daisy winked at Serena and Gary who were overcome with laughter and clutching one another for support. "Like, I guess I better go save them, huh? Before I get Mrs. Ketchem as my new in-law."

         The blonde Waterflower sauntered away to the back of the gym where the DJ was stationed at his table. After whispering a few words into his ears, the music that had been playing abruptly stopped and everyone looked up when a voice resounded in the large room.

         "Well ladies and gentlemen, the night must slowly come to an end so to wrap up this glorious evening, our beautiful hostess has requested a final slow song for all you romantic couples. Grab your partner and let yourself be in tune with the music!" a slight cracking of static followed the DJ's deep voice and then the music started.

         Mrs. Ketchem had finally ceased pestering her son to accept the dance with Professor Oak.

         "Eh…heh," Ash mumbled, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. He looked down at his new girlfriend out of the corner of his eye. "Sorry about that Mist. You know how Mom is."

         Misty giggled. "Unfortunately. I'll bet my sisters are the same way though. We'll be lucky to escape them when we get home!"

         "Yeah. So…umm…since we really haven't gotten to dance and umm…this is the last song…." He looked down at Misty expectantly and a bit hesitant as a red hue spread over the bridge of his nose.

         Raising her arms to encircle his neck, Misty smiled and slowly pulled Ash to the middle of the dance floor. "Of course Romeo."

         Meanwhile, Gary was attempting to cough up the nerve to ask Serena to dance. Throughout the entire night, they hadn't really danced to any slow songs and this would be their first. Yet, he couldn't help but be worried about her. Serena had a hand firmly pressed to her side and the other gripping his tuxedo sleeve. Her eyes were partially lidded and a red glow escaped.

         _What is she doing now?_ Gary wondered, his eyes scanning the gym for signs of psychically moving objects. Were the dimmed lights Serena's doing or Daisy's? And, if he wasn't mistaken, the rose petals from outdoors were now circling the dancers as couples lightly swayed to the beat of the soothing music. Most of them were cluttered around Ash and Misty who were staring into each other's eyes smack in the center of the floor.

         Gary watched as without warning, the two slowly began to ascend; yet neither noticed that they were dancing on air. With a disbelieving shake of his head, Gary turned back to Serena, wondering if he should gently coax her to glide them back down and conserve her energy.

         "Oh I love this song!" Misty said softly to Ash.

         He grinned. "Really? I've never heard it."

         His hand were resting gently on Misty's waist as they slowly swayed back and forth, moving their feet only slightly to the music. 

         "You'll like it too," Misty replied. "Listen to the lyrics," she said and rested her head on Ash's shoulder. Ash nearly fainted with joy.
    
    _Maybe it's intuition _
    
    _But some things you just don't question  
    
      
    
    _
    
    _Like in your eyes  
    
      
    
    _
    
    _I see my future in an instant  
    
      
    
    _
    
    _and there it goes  
    
      
    
    _
    
    _I think I've found my best friend  
    
      
    
    _
    
    _I know that it might sound more than  
    
      
    
    _
    
    _a little crazy but I believe   
    
      
    
    _
    
    _[chorus:]   
    
      
    
    _
    
    _I knew I loved you before I met you  
    
      
    
    _
    
    _I think I dreamed you into life  
    
      
    
    _
    
    _I knew I loved you before I met you  
    
      
    
    _
    
    _I have been waiting all my life   
    
      
    
    _
    
    _There's just no rhyme or reason  
    
      
    
    _
    
    _only this sense of completion  
    
      
    
    _
    
    _and in your eyes  
    
      
    
    _
    
    _I see the missing pieces  
    
      
    
    _
    
    _I'm searching for  
    
      
    
    _
    
    _I think I found my way home  
    
      
    
    _
    
    _I know that it_
    
    _might sound more than  
    
      
    
    _
    
    _a little crazy but I believe  
    
      
    
    _
    
    _[repeat_
    
    _chorus]   
    
      
    
    _
    
    _A thousand angels dance around you  
    
      
    
    _
    
    _I am complete now that_

_I found you   
  
[repeat chorus to fade]_

         Misty felt as though she were floating on clouds. Enclosed warmly in Ash's arms, she felt as light as a feather, nearly weightless and she never knew Ash actually had one right and one left foot instead of two left feet. Granted, they were barely moving their feet to begin with but nonetheless, he seemed to make sure not to step on her toes. As she rested her head on her new boyfriend's shoulder, she closed her eyes but was suddenly brought out of her reverie by Ash.

         "Erm…Mist?"

         She lifted her head. A tight smile was plastered across his face and it seemed as though his grip on her had suddenly gotten tighter. Her brows wrinkled together in concern. "What's wrong Ash?"

         He gulped and licked his lips. "I like Serena, I really do. But is this really necessary?"

         Serena? What did she have to do with anything? Except her playing matchmaker that is. "What are you talking about?"

         "Look down."

         "Oh my gosh!" Misty grabbed Ash around the neck so tightly that he was suffocating. Her head was buried in his chest and he got a mouthful of orange hair in hairspray flavor.

         "Mist! I can't breathe!" Ash choked out.

         She loosened her grip just slightly but her eyes were fixated on the floor feet below her. No wonder she had felt so light.

         Mist. You can keep dancing. You know I won't let you guys fall.

         _Just the same, I like being on the ground_, Misty thought, hoping that for once, Serena would break her rule of mind reading and get Misty's message. Luck was with Misty.

         But you're the romantic. What could be more romantic than floating effortlessly with your loved one?

         _Falling perhaps_.

         I won't let you fall! Now, keep dancing otherwise I'll probe your mind even further than your surface thoughts. I'll put you down…eventually.

_         Gee, thanks_.

         No problem.

         "Did you get instructions from Miss Bossy?" Ash asked, a twinkle in his eye.

         Misty groaned and dropped her head heavily on his chest. "Of course. She said to keep dancing and we'll get back down eventually."

         "Ah. Well, let's not disappoint the lady!"

         Without another thought and putting complete trust in her best friend, Misty nodded and heeded Serena's words. For the remainder of the song, neither Ash nor Misty spoke another word but let the song relay the emotions for them. As the last bars of the song emitted from the speakers, Misty was jolted awake from her daydream of her and Ash at a fancy restaurant when her feet touched the ground.

         "Houston, we have landed," Ash said.

         "Thank goodness!"

         "Now what?"

         Misty glanced around and noted that guests were now beginning to exit and stream out of the doors. Some lingered behind to say goodbyes and chat a bit longer but for the most part, the gym was slowly emptying. "I guess we can go back home now. The party's over."

         "What about clean up?"

         "Puh-lease!" Misty rolled her eyes. "Do you think my sisters are going to clean this mess up?" She motioned her hand over the area. Empty cups were lying around the base of the trashcan instead of in it, streamers were strewn on the floor, and many, many rose petals littered the dance area, courtesy of Serena. "It's handled by hired help."

         "I see. In that case, would the lovely lady allow me to escort her back home?" Ash asked, holding on his arm in a gentleman-like fashion.

         "Why Ash, I never knew you had a polite gene in you!" Misty feigned surprise.

         "Hardy-har-har. If you decline, that I see a few single ladies milling around that might like a fine young chap such as myself as an escort since the one I want can only insult me."

         He lifted a foot to walk away but Misty grabbed his arm rougly. "That's quite all right. You will escort me otherwise I'll get the DJ to."

         Ash raised an eyebrow. "The DJ?"

         "I heard the girls talking and though I haven't seen him, he's supposed to be cute."

         "Not cuter than me?"

         Misty wiggled her eyebrows and started to pull Ash to the door. "That depends. Now let's hit the road!"

         "You mean pathway to your house."

         "Whatever."

         Ash stuck out his tongue and Misty mimicked him. The couple left the gym, continuing their playful banter as Daisy watched slyly from the side.

         "Thank goodness they're not completely grown up," she said to herself as a loving smile blossomed on her lips. Her baby sister finally dating. Daisy shook her head in amazement as she swelled with a mix of sisterly and motherly affection and pride. Time had flown by so fast. So fast indeed.

         Meanwhile, Brock and Willhemina were in a lip-lock in a discreet corner of the gym as a goodbye for the night.

         "Ahem!"

         The two teens sprung apart, blushes tingeing their faces. Duplica and Melody stood there, arms crossed and smirks plastered to their faces. "I do believe this is a PG dance sir and madam," Melody said with a grin.

         Brock groaned. "Leave me alone! Go pester your dates!"

         Melody shook her head. "Sadly, my date has left with another. So I am now dateless and ready to torture someone. Namely you."

         "Why?"

         Duplica shrugged. "You're fun and easy."

         Brock opened his mouth to reply but Willhemina beat him to it. "Look girls!" she pointed over their heads across the gym. "I think Todd and Ritchie are calling to you. My, they do look like they're ready to walk you home…romantically."

         "You think?" Duplica asked. "I mean…yeah sure, you just want to get rid of us."

         Melody pulled on Duplica's arm. "I think he is going to walk me to the hotel! How romantic!" She dragged a protesting Duplica across the gym, leaving the elder teens alone once more.

         With a smile, Brock looked down at the beautiful girl before him. "You're a genius. May I escort you to your hotel?"

         Willhmina answered with a giggle. "Nothing would please me more."

         "Even a kiss?"

         She blushed. "Perhaps that too."

         "Good."

         "Ready to leave girls?" Todd asked once Duplica and Melody had reached him and Ritchie.

         Melody nodded. "I'm so tired and my feet hurt from running around!"

         Ritchie snapped his fingers. "That's too bad! I was hoping you'd like to join me on a walk around the beach. A little moonlight strolling but-"

         "Did I say that my feet hurt? I meant my fingers. Yes. My fingers."

         "In that case," Ritchie held out his hand. "Let me see them. Maybe I can make them better."

         Hand in hand, the two walked off. "I guess that's our cue. Especially since most of the other guests have left," Todd said, holding out an arm, which Duplica happily took.

         "Rena? Rena are you okay?" Sabrina asked concernedly looking down at her little sister with Rosco hovering in the background. As the last notes of the song were playing and Ash and Misty had been returned safely to the Earth's surface, Serena had promptly collapsed in Gary's arms.

         Telepathically sensing a weakness coming from the younger psychic sibling, Sabrina had immediately ceased dancing and rushed to Serena's side. Gary had managed to pull her over to a chair and transferred her there, yet allowing her to use him as support once again. A dim glow emitted from Serena's dark eyes and her eyes were partially open. Yet she made no response.

         Worried, Sabrina decided on a different tactic.

         _Serena! Wake up!_

_         Sa-Sabrina?_

_         Yes it's me. How could you do that?_

_         Do what?_

_         You know just what I mean. Tire yourself out for no reason!_

_         But Sabrina, it wasn't for no reason! It was for my best friend!_

_         I don't care! You didn't have to go so far! You got me worried. And especially Gary! He's hovering over you like a mother hen! It took me a few minutes of coaxing for me to get him to loosen his hold on you._

         At this, Serena's mind "voice" went up notch. _Really?_

         _You're hopeless. Anyways, lets get you out of this dismal gray area of your mind._

_         How?_

_         Just concentrate real hard that you want to be awake and you will! I'm leaving now!_

_         Wait!_

         But all Serena found was emptiness in her mind. Her sister had left her mind. _Well, might as well try it. _Using as much mind energy as she could muster, Serena willed and willed herself back to the waking world.

         "Serena!" a hazy face formed before her eyes.

         "Gary?"

         "Thank god! I was so worried!"

         "Really?"

         "I told you so," Sabrina smirked from the side.

         Serena attempted to sit up straighter but felt something heavy holding her down. "Umm…Gary? You can let go of me now. I'm fine."

         "What if you faint again?"

         "I'm fine."

         Reluctantly, Gary removed his arms and even Serena missed the warmth. She turned to face her elder sister. "Thanks."

         Sabrina winked. "No problem. Just promise me never to stress your mind out so much. You may think you're strong, but everyone has limitations. Next time, you might not have Gary nearby to catch you when you fall."

         And with a final wave, Sabrina glided across the floor and out with door with her boyfriend, leaving Serena and Gary in awkward silence.

         "Gary?"

         He looked down at her.

         "I'm sorry."

         Now Gary drew his brows together. What was she talking about?

         As if she had read his mind, which she might have done but did not, Serena replied, "We didn't even get to dance properly because of my planning. You came here to have fun and I ruined it for you. Maybe you shouldn't have come with me."

         Oh. That's what she was talking about. Gary licked his lips nervously and eyed her right hand which was absentmindedly twirling a lock of her dark hair. To take the hand or not to take the hand, that is the question. _C'mon Gary!_ A voice in his mind urged. _If the loser Ketchem can get himself the girl, so can you!_

         _Yes! Yes I can._ His eyes swept over the girl seated next to him and he took in her lovely form. His heartbeat increased. _No. No I can't._

         _Loser_, the voice taunted and Gary wondered two things: A) Whether he was losing his mind and B) if other guys went through a subconscious being in the mind when dealing with a girl.

         Taking a deep breath, Gary opened his mouth to reply but he was too late. Serena had already stood with a forced smile tightened into her lips. "I'd like to go home now Gary so if you wouldn't mind walking me?"

         _Drat!_ Gary rose from his seat mentally berating himself for having lost his chance at expressing his feelings. "Sure. No problem. Let's go."

         He made to hold out a hand but Serena had already started walking away.

_         Darnit!_

         Misty hummed to herself as she slipped off her ball dress and pulled on a pair of comfortable pajamas. What a night! And what a way to end it! At the beginning of the evening, she never would have expected it to turn out the way it did, but lo and behold! Look what had happened! She and Ash hadn't headed straight home. They took a long detour over the boardwalk simply enjoying each other's company and discussing how long one had liked the other. Then Ash had walked her straight to her bedroom door like a gentlemen and ended the night with one last sweet kiss.

         With a dreamy exaggerated sigh, Misty flounced onto her bed and smiled into her pillow. What a night. Turning, she pulled up the covers and promptly dozed to dreamland, images of Ash floating through her mind. So happy in slumber was she that Misty never even stirred when Serena entered half an hour later.

*****Author's Note*****

Long enough to make up for the delay? Good enough? Fluffy enough? I tried. As I said, something happened to the original and I had to redo it all. Therefore, it was hard because I had to attempt to keep the writing style the same and work around my schedule. But, I finally got it done! There will most likely be one more chapter. I have to write it first and I will try my best to get it done sooner than this was. But I make no promises. Anyways, please do review once again!

**Review Responses:**

_MagicMistyWaterflower_: Wow! I got your review before I even got a chance to send out my email for the update! Thanks! And I'm glad that you like it so much! Makes my day brighter! And I'm definitely with you! AshxMisty, Yay! AshxMay, Nay! Hey…that works, huh? And I just made it up. Lol. Yeah, I'm corny. I like yours better. 

_Spiraea Kozak_: Hehe…don't worry, I didn't get too frozen up around here. Well, as you can see, they didn't quite get pinned underneath anything but more like pinned together with the vine courtesy of Serena! But good guess!

_Rainastar_: Well, as you can see, the plan did work out rather well, huh? So now, everyone's happily ever after! Well actually, that comes next chapter. Maybe. ^_^

_Togepi4eva_: Ralph and Emily! OMG! I totally forgot about them! I have no idea how…I mean…lol. Man, I'm stupid! Umm…well, as I mentioned up above in the author's note…we're going to pretend they're still around.

_Mydream_: Well, this was more!

_Charmed Sakura_: Thanks! And I read your fic. Did you get my review?

_Maria_: Aww you're way too sweet! Anyways, I hoped you liked Chapter 7 just as much as all the others!

_Wintersun_: Yup! Finally some real romance, especially in this chapter! And as I mentioned in the author's note, there will be one more chapter.

_Angelic-Shadowcat_: Yes, it definitely is the best when everything works out! I'm one of those 'happily ever after' type people. Mind you, I personally don't get those types of endings at the end of the day or week or whatever, but they're nice to read about. 

_Krazy 4 Pokemon_: Well, I hope you got my review for your fic! And thanks for reviewing mine! I'll keep writing as long as I love to write which will be forever! But I'm not necessarily going to write fan fiction forever. Lol.

_Pikpik246_: Well, I'm certainly glad that you finally decided to start reviewing! I'm glad that you like it! I'm also glad that Ash and Misty are finally getting together. When I was writing this, I was wondering when I would finally have them kiss. Well, this chapter won!

_Shippou123_: Lol! Seems like you love a lot of people! I've never watched Love Hina but Sailor Jupiter is awesome! And I've never hear of Kodocha or Jason Voorhees. Care to fill me in? ^_^ And don't worry, I talk a lot too. Talking is good for the soul. Lol…My goal someday for the future *is* to be a professional, published author!…*sigh* poor Melody. What'd she ever do to you?

_KawaiiTotodile_: ^_^ Thanks! I hope you liked this chapter just as much.

_Magicgalkairi_: Wow…you spent an hour reading this? I'm flattered that you got caught up in this! 

_Celestial Fire_: So do you still want to smack them together? Hehe. I'm glad you're getting into this story! Thanks!

_Kitsune Shippo_: As you can see, I have continued, though this chapter did come out later than I wanted. I had to make some adjustments.


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